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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23929135">How To Start A Fire</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/str0belites/pseuds/str0belites'>str0belites</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>One Piece</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Awkward Romance, Crack, Eventual Smut, First Love, Fluff and Humor, Hurt/Comfort, It Gets Worse, M/M, Multi, Past Child Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:48:36</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>43,766</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23929135</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/str0belites/pseuds/str0belites</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Soulmates, they were a peculiar thing. As ridiculous as it sounds, they apparently did exist. No one even knew how this phenomenon even began. Before, it was simply a cool idea that teenagers liked to daydream about. However, they were not exactly prepared for it to actually happen.</p><p>For Ace on the other hand, it all began with a single sentence that showed up on his arm.</p><p>'Ah shit, Koala is going to beat my ass.'</p><p>AceSabo/SaboAce Soulmate AU<br/>Side Law x others but eventual KidLaw</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eustass Kid/Trafalgar D. Water Law, Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco/Portgas D. Ace, Monkey D. Luffy/Trafalgar D. Water Law, Portgas D. Ace/Sabo, Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji, Trafalgar D. Water Law/Vinsmoke Sanji</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>202</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi this is my first One Piece fanfiction. I just wanted to contribute to the AS fandom so I decided to write this. I plan for it to have multiple chapters :) I'll do my best to stay motivated and update regularly but in the meantime, please enjoy! PS. sorry for any errors. I don't have a beta reader so ;;</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Soulmates, they were a peculiar thing.<br/><br/>As ridiculous as it sounded, they apparently did exist. No one even knew how this phenomenon even began. Before, it was simply a cool idea that teenagers liked to daydream about. However, they were not exactly prepared for it to <em>actually</em> happen.<br/><br/>One day, somebody had just suddenly lost all their colour vision- which eventually came back after meeting their true love. There were also reports about many other odd instances. Names appearing on their hands, marks or tattoos showing up on random parts of their bodies. It seemed like anything could happen nowadays.<br/><br/>For Ace on the other hand, it all began with a single sentence that showed up on his arm.<br/><br/><em>'Ah shit, Koala is going to beat my ass.</em>'<br/><br/>What the fuck?<br/><br/>"You need to calm down, Ace. I'm pretty sure it doesn't mean anything." The tattooed man chuckled while flipping through his thick medical book on the digestive system.<br/><br/>Ace turned towards him and scowled. He really did love his friend, but this concerned the REST OF HIS LIFE. So, Ace would very much prefer it if Law was a tad bit more serious thank you. He stomped towards the man, who was comfortably sat on his bed, and snatched the book out of his hands.<br/><br/>"No, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND. Why on EARTH would my soulmate get their ass beat by a goddamn koala bear? What type of kinky shit are they into? God, I don't even wanna know."<br/><br/>Ace threw hands up in the air in frustration. Law simply rolled his eyes at his overdramatic friend because yeah. What were the chances that Ace's soulmate would be a koala bear fucker? None... Or so he hoped.<br/><br/>Law snorted at the thought of Ace having to date a girl with koala bear fetish. His tattooed fingers carefully plucked his book back from Ace's grip and Law went back to reading.<br/><br/>"Well, Koala bears carry chlamydia so... Remember to use protection." Law deadpanned. Ace simply fumed and flipped him off.<br/><br/>"Fuck you."<br/><br/>-</p><p>Portgas D. Ace, also affectionately known as fire fucker by his roommate Trafalgar Law. He was a 20 year old student who was currently majoring in Physical Education at Corrida College in Dressrosa City. If Ace was being honest, he was surprised he even made it into college in the first place.</p><p>He lived near the campus in an apartment with his younger brother Luffy, who was still in high school, and his friend Law who had been looking for a place to stay while in college. However, much to Ace’s dismay, Luffy had taken quite a liking towards Law.</p><p>Ever since Luffy laid his eyes on Law, he had been clinging onto him like a leech. Sometimes, Ace felt like <em>he</em> was the third wheel and would quietly creep out of the apartment to leave them alone. But of course, Law would very much rather drown in a lake than stay alone in a room with Luffy.</p><p>On the other hand, one would think that for a guy like Ace- because let’s be honest, he didn’t look that bad- he would have had girls chasing after him. Well, he did have fangirls who would drool over his glorious six pack but he never had anything serious.</p><p>It may or may not have to do with the fact that he sometimes burned down the school campus.</p><p>Yeah.</p><p>It wasn’t as if he <em>wanted</em> to burn down the school. He just… didn’t do well with fire. Or maybe, it was the opposite.</p><p>Either way, it wasn’t his fault that somehow a flammable object would be near him all the time which led him to accidentally set everything on fire. In fact, the school was the one that should take more precaution. Like, how was he supposed to know that you weren’t supposed to bring the bunsen burner into a gym?</p><p>God, sometimes the school was just so <em>stupid</em>.</p><p>He did feel bad for Law though. Law was the one who would normally bail him out of these situations by talking to one of their teachers, Corazon. When they got back to the apartment, Law would then threaten to cut his insides with a scalpel knife.</p><p>So, maybe Ace wasn’t the best person to date. He was nothing but trouble, as dubbed by the principal Akainu. He was convinced that he was going to live out the rest of his life alone.</p><p>Until this weird soulmate mark thing appeared on his arm.</p><p>Ace paced around the room frantically. Law was not being a very helpful friend right now. Luffy was just…. Luffy. He was eating a huge chunk of meat and staring at Ace pacing around the room.</p><p>“Look. If you’re so worried about this soulmate thing, why not just go to that school counsellor? You know, the crazy one who gives love advice. Miss Hancock, was it?” Law finally spoke.</p><p>Ace cringed and gave his friend a disgusted look. Hancock? She certainly was a weird one. Somehow every student and teacher seemed to think that she was the most beautiful woman on the planet. Ace didn’t disagree but he wasn’t exactly head over heels for her.</p><p>“Boa? Are you kidding? The one time I brought Luffy on campus, she saw him and then asked me if she could marry him! There is NO WAY I’m going to her for advice.”</p><p>Law snickered, clearly remembering that day. Luffy had been pestering Ace and Law to show him around the campus. When they did, they had (unfortunately) bumped into Hancock who had fainted at the sight of Luffy.</p><p>Ace had rushed to her side and tried to wake her up by shaking her. Then, Luffy strolled over to look at the unconscious woman. He then opened his mouth to ask Hancock if she was okay, then she immediately woke up and shoved Ace aside before pulling Luffy into a hug.</p><p>Law had been standing at the side as he watched everything unfold. It was then Luffy decided to shove Hancock back towards Ace so that he could cling onto Law instead.</p><p>“Ah, Torao. I think we should leave now.” Luffy had said.</p><p>In which, Law shrugged and led Luffy away from the hysterical Hancock and a grumpy Ace. Life couldn’t be any better.</p><p>No, really. He had managed to escape punishment from Hancock and walked away with an admittedly, very cute Luffy clinging onto his arm. And, as a bonus, he watched Ace get chased around by several angry fanboys later during that day.</p><p>Fun times.</p><p>“So, you aren’t worried that your soulmate might be fucking koala bears?” Law smirked in response.</p><p>Groaning, Ace knew that he needed help or some sort of advice at the very least. There was always that other counsellor he could go to, Ivankov… But the last time his other friend, Sanji, had visited Ivankov for soulmate advice, he ended up having a very traumatic experience. Till this day, Sanji still hadn’t told Ace what really happened.</p><p>Ace shuddered, imagining all the possible things Sanij could have gone through. Maybe Hancock was really the only option huh? He sighed. Hancock already hated his guts but maybe if he brought Luffy along, it wouldn’t be that bad.</p><p>Resolving to consult Hancock, Ace hastily put on a shirt and grabbed his keys. He decided that he should probably wear a shirt if he didn’t want to get beaten up by her again.</p><p>“Luffy, come with me. We are going to see Hancock.”</p><p>In response to this, Luffy groaned and started rolling on the floor. With that, Law decided that this was a great time to leave the room before Luffy decided to drag him along too. He quickly hopped off the bed and ran into the bathroom, making sure to lock the door this time.</p><p>“But whyyy, I don’t want to goooo. I don’t like Hancock. Can’t we at least bring Torao along with us? Otherwise, I’m not going.”</p><p>Luffy stared at Ace and gave him the biggest pout with huge puppy dog eyes. Ace winced in return. He hated it when Luffy used the look on him. Not because it worked but well… Okay, yeah it normally worked.</p><p>As much as he would like to bring Law along with them, he knew that Law would protest. Even if he somehow managed to convinced him into going, he was going to start attempting to dissect Ace in his sleep or something.</p><p>Ace ran his hand through his hair in frustration, not knowing what to do. Until, an idea hit him.</p><p>“Oh? What a shame because Hancock told me that she prepared a huge feast just for you! Well, I guess I’m going to have to eat it by myself now.” Ace drawled.</p><p>Luffy’s ears perked up at the mention of food. He immediately darted towards his room and got changed in record timing. Ace chuckled inwardly, it was too easy when it came to Luffy.</p><p>Though, that probably meant that Luffy was going to whine in disappointment when he sees the lack of food later on. Oh well. Ace would deal with it when it happens he supposed.  </p><p>-</p><p>“OH MY GOD KOALA WHAT THE FUCK.”</p><p>The blonde-haired man screeched as he threw his pen onto the floor and stood up in surprise. A petite, short haired woman frantically rushed to his side to see what was going on. She glanced over at his forearm for a moment before bursting into laughter.</p><p>
  <em>‘My ass is on fire.’</em>
</p><p>The woman, Koala, fell over from laughing. Sabo glared at her curled up form on the carpet. How dare Koala laughed at him? This was an absolutely serious matter!<br/><br/>“I WOULD appreciate it if you showed a little concern here Koala. Just what… WHAT IS THIS?” Sabo whined exasperatedly.</p><p>Koala sniffled and wiped her tears before getting on her feet to examine the weird marking on Sabo’s arm. Looking closer, she realized that its handwriting was not Sabo’s own. In fact, it looked as if it was written by a toddler… Or a caveman.</p><p>If Koala was certain of one thing, Sabo actually did have a nice handwriting. It was cursive, fit for a noble. Accompanied by the fact that there was no way Sabo could have written such a thing on his own arm, it could only mean one thing.</p><p>That was a soulmate mark.</p><p>Realizing this, Koala started giggling once more. Oh god, Sabo was going to cause a fit. Noticing Sabo’s impatient gaze on her, she calmed herself down and braced herself for his reaction.</p><p>“Yeah uh. That’s… Your soulmate mark.”</p><p>Sabo took a deep breath and <em>screamed.</em></p><p>“WHAT? PLEASE tell me you’re joking. This can’t be my soulmate mark. I’ve never seen such an odd soulmate mark in my entire life.”</p><p>Koala raised an eyebrow and gave Sabo a questioning look. Was he really saying that when their own soulmate mark had been equally as odd? Okay, maybe not but it was still pretty weird.</p><p>Koala and Sabo were platonic soulmates. One day Koala’s soulmate mark had randomly appeared on her wrist. It was a black top hat with blue goggles. Of course, she had no idea what it meant and did not know what to expect.</p><p>The same went for Sabo. He had just graduated from high school when his soulmate mark had appeared for the first time. It was a koala bear wearing a red hat and unfortunately for him, his appeared on his bicep. Needless to say, he always had to make sure he wore covered sleeves to hide the embarrassingly huge koala bear mark.</p><p>It was only a year later when they had finally met.</p><p>If there was one thing Corrida college was known for, it was their parties. That year on Halloween, the school had their annual Halloween dress up party. Sabo had dressed up as a steampunk pirate, donning his signature top hat and goggles.</p><p>As fate would have it, he found someone who had the same costume idea he had. What were the odds that someone else would dress up as a steampunk pirate? It was none other than his soulmate, Koala.</p><p>Sabo had been trying to find his way out of the dance hall when he tripped over nothing and collided into Koala. When she fell, he had offered his hand and was about to apologize. It was then, he noticed how he had the exact same hat as her soulmate mark.</p><p>“Y-You’re that koala bear with the hat!” He exclaimed while pulling Koala to her feet.</p><p>Koala winced at Sabo’s loud voice as she rubbed her head in pain. “What? How d’you know my name?” She muttered.</p><p>Then, she looked up and saw Sabo’s ridiculously huge top hat and goggles. “YOU!!!”<br/>She screamed, pointing towards his hat.</p><p>When they had realized that they were soulmates, the markings disappeared. They were confused what they were supposed to do afterwards. Were they supposed to date? They had no clue.</p><p>Thankfully, since that day, they managed to hit off remarkably well. It was only 2 months after that fateful day when they had decided to share an apartment near the campus. They eventually came to realize that they were majoring in the same courses as well though, Koala was a year ahead since she was older.</p><p>Things worked out perfectly fine for them. Sabo had once brought up the topic of dating with Koala but they both mutually agreed that they would be better off as friends. They had more of a brotherly-sisterly type of relationship since Koala had no family while Sabo… ran away from home.</p><p>Having already gotten his soulmate mark before, Sabo certainly did not expect a <em>second </em>soulmate mark. He had already resigned to his fate of being single for the rest of his life. Anyways, he had Koala by his side so, it wouldn’t have been so bad.</p><p>However, if he was being honest, he kind of did wish he would someday meet the love of his life. Sabo was hopeful when his first soulmate mark had appeared, only to find out that it was simply a platonic relationship. That didn’t mean he wasn’t appreciative of Koala though. He was fucking BLESSED to have her.</p><p>It was just… He was a huge romantic so, it had been quite disappointing to say the least.</p><p>Until now, of course. But he wasn’t so sure if he even wanted to have this soulmate mark. Why on earth was his soulmate’s ass on fire? Was it literally on fire or was it because he had some sort of explosive diarrhoea? Or maybe it was some really hardcore anal se-</p><p>No. He was NOT going to think about that.</p><p>Still, what the fuck? Second soulmate marks were rare as it is. However, this form of soulmate marks almost never did happen. Only five percent of the overall population would have their soulmate’s thoughts randomly appear on their arm each day.</p><p>The worst part was that this type of soulmate mark gave absolutely no clue when it came to finding your soulmate. You could walk past them or even talk to them, but it wouldn’t disappear till you both mutually realize that you are soulmates.</p><p>Why was this a problem, you might ask. Well, it’s because Sabo couldn’t just go around every single person he met and ask: Hey, did your ass ever catch fire? He didn’t want to be seen as some of creep who had an ass fetish.</p><p>If God were real, this would be a great time to tell him this was all just a joke.</p><p>Sabo flopped onto his bed and groaned in frustration.</p><p>Koala looked at him sympathetically and attempted to soothe him by stroking his hair. This was certainly a… difficult situation, as hilarious as it might be. She hadn’t expected Sabo to get another soulmate mark either. So, she was equally as clueless on what to do.</p><p>“Come on, it can’t be that bad. You could always talk to Ivankov and ask for some sort of advice.” Koala suggested.</p><p>Sabo grabbed a nearby pillow and hugged it tightly. Koala was right, he probably should talk to someone for advice. Or, he could always just eat his feelings away like he normally did.</p><p>Okay yeah, he should get some help.</p><p>While most students found generally thought that Ivankov was a weirdo, Sabo actually liked him. Besides being one of the school counsellors along with Hancock, Ivankov was one of the teachers who taught his major, Political Science.</p><p>He would occasionally be in their lectures alongside Dragon, their professor. They were certainly an odd duo. Dragon was completely serious and dead silent when he wasn’t teaching while Ivankov would find ways to annoy Dragon and get him to talk. Everybody loved them.</p><p>Sighing, Sabo decided he should pay Ivankov a visit after all.</p><p>Koala cheered him and promised to bake him some cookies when he got back to the apartment. That was honestly more than enough to convince Sabo to get changed and head off to the counsellor’s office. Koala’s baking were to DIE for.</p><p>But wait.  </p><p>As he left the house, he suddenly remembered that he <em>might </em>have accidentally replaced Koala’s shampoo with some coloured dye.</p><p>It was payback for that one time she had decided to prank him by adding toothpaste to his oreos.</p><p><em>No one</em> should ever do that to his oreos.</p><p>He had choked then vomited from the horrible blend of mint and chocolate taste in his mouth. Afterwards, he couldn’t eat oreos for a solid month because the taste was that disgusting. It was a horrible time for Sabo because Koala knew how much he loved his oreos.</p><p>So, earlier that morning, Sabo had decided to get back at her. Thinking back, maybe he shouldn’t have decided to prank her if he knew that she was going to bake him cookies again.</p><p>Ah shit, Koala was going to beat his ass.</p><p>-</p><p>When Ace and Luffy had left the house, Law couldn’t help but leap for joy. Truthfully, he was surprised that Ace had gotten a soulmate mark but hey, who was he to judge? Even a loner like Law himself had one so, it was no surprise that Ace would have one as well.</p><p>His own soulmate mark was rather peculiar. He had huge markings all over his body as opposed to the single sentence that appeared on Ace’s forearm. His markings were in the form of huge tribal tattoos on his arms and back.</p><p>If Law was honest, he actually liked his soulmate marks. They matched the other tattoos he already had on his body. According to some soulmate guidance counsellor he had visited, his soulmate marks would apparently shrink each time he met his soulmate until they finally got together.</p><p>He had laughed when he heard the diagnosis. It wasn’t because he doubted them, he simply found the idea of soulmates ridiculous. The markings had been on his body for the longest time. About 11 years to be exact.</p><p>Each time he made his yearly visit to the counsellor for a check-up, they would try to console him and say that his case was complicated. For all he knew, his soulmate could be on the other side of the world. Or maybe, they were already dead.</p><p>Well, he would just deal with it when the time comes. Part of him suspected that he could have more than one soulmate because really, why on earth did he have so many markings? Did his soulmate have similar markings too?</p><p>Never mind that for now. More importantly, it was one of those rare times where he had his own privacy- which did not happen very often, considering how clingy Luffy was.</p><p>At times like these, he would often indulge himself in his favourite hobby. Not dissecting humans- though he really did want to try dissecting Ace- but it was reading comic books.</p><p>To be more specific, the Germa Kingdom series.</p><p>Most would think that Law was a broody guy or a boring nerd with no hobbies.</p><p>And, they were absolutely correct.</p><p>He spent most of his time on the campus studying or reading books. When he wasn’t studying, he would be helping out in the school’s infirmary as an intern. Other than that, he didn’t really spend time with anyone else. So, it would be logical to assume that he was indeed a generally uninteresting person.</p><p>However, he was a closet nerd. Germa Kingdom comics were his guilty pleasure that he would NEVER admit to anyone. He had a whole collection of their figurines and comic books while growing up in Flevance. Now, his collection was safely hidden in his adoptive father, Corazon’s house.</p><p>Knowing Ace and Luffy, they would probably make fun of him for his obsession. Or worse, they would destroy his collection within a second. So, he felt that it was best not to bring up the topic about his real hobbies.</p><p>Now, Law would only catch up with the comic on his phone when there was no one around. He couldn’t risk anyone catching him reading these comics. He would prefer it if people remained wary and afraid of him instead.</p><p>Since Ace and Luffy wouldn’t be back for a few hours, he decided to make use of this rare opportunity. Law decided to treat himself by playing the Germa Kingdom anime on the television instead.</p><p>Placing his medical book aside, Law moved to the couch where he sat comfortably and switched on his Netflix and began to indulge himself. Law smiled contently and mentally praised himself for getting the annoying brothers out of the house.</p><p>He was halfway through the show before he heard a knock on the door.</p><p>Law frantically looked at his phone to check the time. It had only been 30 minutes, there was no way they could be back already. Walking to the campus took 15 minutes in itself, so they couldn’t possibly be done right?</p><p>Pausing his show, Law silently creeped towards the door as the knocking got louder. He looked through the peephole to see who it was, only to be greeted by some dude with lipstick on.</p><p>Though he had no idea who it was, he decided to open the door to see what the man wanted. He opened the door and standing outside, was a HUGE man with flaming red hair and crimson red lipstick.</p><p>The thing is, Law was already a pretty tall guy. He towered over all his friends and most, if not <em>all</em> of his classmates. So, to see someone else taller than him was certainly a surprise. Not to mention, this guy was built like a fucking brick wall.</p><p>He had massively broad shoulders and huge biceps, making Law feel scrawny in comparison. The mysterious man also looked rather intimidating with the scowl present on his face and piercing grey eyes that looked like he was about to commit murder.</p><p>Law sincerely hoped that this man would murder him.</p><p>The man noticed Law eyeing up and down but chose to ignore it. He had to admit, the tattooed man was indeed rather attractive himself. But, he had real business to take care of.</p><p>“Does a man named Monkey D. Luffy live here?” He asked.</p><p>Law snapped out of his trance and glared at the taller man suspiciously. Oh, bloody hell he should’ve known. What did Luffy get himself into this time?</p><p>“Maybe he does, maybe not. Why are you asking?” Law questioned while trying his best not to be intimidated by the larger man.</p><p>“That bitch fucking stole my- Wait.” He paused. Law raised his eyebrow wondering what the man was getting at.</p><p>The sound of some Japanese music playing in the house had sparked the red-haired man’s curiosity. So, he lightly shoved the tattooed man aside and peered into the house. “Is that Germa Kingdom playing on the television?”</p><p>Law quickly turned around to see that the episode he had been watching somehow continued playing. He could’ve sworn that he paused it. He rushed towards the couch and immediately paused it before episode could continue.</p><p>His face flushed red in embarrassment as he turned to face the red-haired man again. No one was supposed to find out about his guilty pleasure. At least this guy didn’t go to his school, right?</p><p>“You speak one word about this to anyone and I’ll make sure to personally pay you a visit.” Law muttered under his breath.</p><p>The man gave him an amused look before chuckling in response. “Yeah? Come visit me then and maybe we can watch Germa Kingdom together.”</p><p>Law blinked in confusion. Well, that wasn’t the response he had expected.</p><p>He internally debated whether the man was joking or not. But hey, he would be stupid to pass up an opportunity to get to know this good-looking man. Who knows, maybe he could finally get laid too. So why not, right?</p><p>A coy smile graced Law’s lips as he carefully placed his hands on the man’s chest and looked into his eyes. “If you are offering to spend some time together, then I’d love to.”</p><p>The taller man snorted. He really just visited this house just so he could beat up Monkey D. Luffy for stealing his turkey leg that one time.</p><p>He had been peacefully having lunch with his friends in the cafeteria. Then, as he was about to start eating, a small man with a straw hat zipped past his table and just took his turkey leg.</p><p>Why on earth did he do that? He had no idea. But god, he was PISSED. If that wasn’t enough, that boy had dared to give him such a stupid nickname while he was at it.</p><p>“THANKS FOR THE TURKEY LEG JAGGY.” Luffy had yelled while running away from a topless man who was chasing him with a pipe.</p><p>That topless man had screamed his name while chasing him, which was how he discovered Luffy's name. From that day on, he swore to take revenge on the straw hat man.</p><p>So, he had gone and obtained information about the straw hat from his information broker, Basil Hawkins, and eventually managed to narrow down where the straw hat lived.</p><p>However, he hadn’t expected this random man to show up since he only had information about Luffy’s brother, Ace. He was sure that he had gotten the correct house too. Unless… This was the straw hat’s boyfriend.</p><p>“Are you sure your boyfriend would allow you to spend time with a stranger?” He asked cryptically.</p><p>Law choked upon hearing that. Luffy as his boyfriend? Sure, he had a cute face and huge round eyes. He was also very flexible which made it great for se- He was cute. Dating him wasn’t such a horrible thought but Ace would skin him alive if he ever tried to make a move.</p><p>“He’s not my boyfriend. I’m more like… His really attractive babysitter.” Law dramatically sighed.</p><p>The man grinned. Babysitter sounded about right. Since his main agenda was out of the way, he fished for his phone in his pockets and handed his phone to the tattooed man. Law took the hint and handed his own phone to the other so that he could add his contact.</p><p>When they were done, Law looked at the name of the other man and snickered. “Eustass Kid huh? What an interesting name.”</p><p>The man, Kid, rolled his eyes. He was used to people making fun of his name and normally, this would be the part where he would beat them up. This guy however, was certainly an amusing one.</p><p>He held up his phone and pointed towards the contact name that Law had saved on his phone. “So does mister Dr. Heart stealer have a name too?” He deadpanned.</p><p>Law smirked. He really liked this Eustass Kid guy. At least he had a sense of humour. He had a feeling they were going to be good friends.</p><p>“Trafalgar Law.”</p><p>-</p><p>“Aceeeee, are we there yet?” Luffy whined while Ace grabbed on to his arm, dragging him towards the counsellor’s office.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah. We’re finally here,” Ace released Luffy from his grip and adjusted his clothes nervously. Hancock was one door away and he was so not prepared for her wrath.</p><p>Unfortunately for them, it was as if Hancock had some sort of a Luffy radar because all of a sudden, she burst out of the door and pulled Luffy into a hug.</p><p>“LUFFYYYY. HAVE YOU COME TO SEE ME?” She squealed.</p><p>Luffy cringed and glanced towards Ace, silently pleading for help. Ace winced in return and mouthed ‘Sorry’. He then turned to face Hancock, unsure of how he should talk to her.</p><p>“Uh actually, I’m here for some advice about my soulmate.” Ace spoke while he awkwardly waved his hand in front of her.</p><p>Hancock gave him the stink eye and huffed in disappointment. Here she thought that she was finally going to get to spend some time with her beloved. Why did this stripper man always have to ruin everything? Nonetheless, she released Luffy from the hug and moved aside so they could enter the counsellor’s office.  </p><p>Ace begrudgingly entered the office, only to be surprised at the mountain of food that was present on the table. He turned to look at Luffy who was already drooling at the sight of the food prepared just for him. Damn, Hancock really had a Luffy radar.</p><p>While Luffy enjoyed his food, Hancock and Ace sat across one another on the couch in the room. Giving Luffy one last dreamy look, she crossed her legs and directed her attention towards Ace, motioning for him to start speaking.</p><p>The freckled man presented his arm and pointed at his soulmate mark. Hancock leaned in to analyse the mark a little closer, running her fingers along his forearm.</p><p>Besides the sound of Luffy chomping on his food, it was eerily silent. Ace nervously waited and did his best to sit still as she observed his soulmate mark. He had a gut feeling something bad was about to happen.</p><p>Now, in his experience, whenever his gut was telling him something it was normally right. Remember how he said he had extremely bad luck when it came to fire? Yeah.</p><p>It happened all too quickly.</p><p>In that second, the door slammed open with a loud bang and Ivankov came running in. As if the loud sound wasn’t enough to make him jump, what Ivankov was WEARING was what made him jump in fear. Ivankov ran into the counsellor’s office wearing an electric purple leotard with fishnet stockings and full on drag makeup.</p><p>Oh boy did Ace scream for his life.</p><p>His arm had jerked and punched Hancock in the face when he saw Ivankov. Hancock, who had been punched, turned completely red with anger and got on her feet. She grabbed Ace by the collar and shoved him aside with so much force, he fell onto Luffy.</p><p>Luffy had then kicked Ace’s ass which made him fall face first onto Ivankov’s chest. Ivankov himself then yelled in disgust before kneeing him in the groin which landed Ace onto some other random guy.</p><p>That was when the fire happened.</p><p>For some GODDAMNED reason, the guy just had to have a lighter in his pocket. Ace thought that he must’ve offended God in his past life or something because he landed face first into the guy’s crotch. His hand had slipped and knocked the lighter out of his pocket.</p><p>Of course, there just HAD to be stacks of paper all over the floor. So, you could guess what happened next. That’s right.</p><p>Everything was on fire.</p><p>The flames started to spread quickly with the amount of flammable object lying around the room. The fire alarm started to sound as smoke filled the room. Ace frantically got on his feet and searched for a fire extinguisher while the rest of the people in the room screamed.</p><p>Meanwhile, that random guy whose crotch Ace had landed on was furious. He yelled something at Ace but, Ace couldn’t quite catch what he said because well… Everything was burning and everyone was screaming?</p><p>That man had continued yelling at him. It was something about fire. Well, no shit because everything was on fire.</p><p>“…..ASS….FIRE” He heard.</p><p>What?</p><p>Ace looked down at his shorts and realized what that man had been trying to say the whole time.</p><p>His ass was on fire.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Extinguished</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The high-pitched fire alarm resonated throughout the entire school.<br/><br/>Sabo had been trudging his feet towards the campus when he noticed the thick black smoke engulf the entire main building. Unfortunately, that main building was where the counsellor's office was at.<br/><br/>He couldn't tell if it was a mere coincidence or not that the exact building he had wanted to go suddenly caught fire. Either way, he guessed that fate was trying to hint that he should figure out this soulmate thing on his own.<br/><br/>Since Sabo didn't want to have anything to do with the fire, he decided to leave as quickly as possible. However, as he was about to turn around, a huge dog rammed into him.<br/><br/>Or so he thought.<br/><br/>Sabo stumbled from the impact but managed to maintain his balance. He looked down only to realize that it wasn't a dog. Instead, it was just some kid with a straw hat who was covered in dirt and smelt like smoke. He guessed that the kid must've escaped the fire.</p><p>He knelt down beside the man to check on him but, the smaller man started coughing violently which made Sabo panic. He searched for his water bottle in his bag and made sure the man drank it all. When the other had calmed down, Sabo began to speak.</p><p>“Are you alright? What happened back there?” He asked the straw hat man.</p><p>The boy looked at him and sniffled. Then, he embraced Sabo and blew his nose into Sabo’s shoulder, much to his disgust.</p><p>“A-Ace got cawught in a fwire… Hancock dwragged me out of the fwire and I-“</p><p>Sabo didn’t want to be rude, but he was having some difficulty understanding the man as he kept on sniffing. It was all gibberish to Sabo but, the boy seemed like he was about to cry. So, Sabo awkwardly pat his back and attempted to soothe him.</p><p>However, the boy eventually passed out. Not knowing what else to do since, well. He couldn’t just take the boy to the school’s infirmary because it was too dangerous with the fire still going in.</p><p>So, his next best option was simply to bring the boy back to the apartment so that Koala could treat him. He scooped the boy up into his arms and carried him bridal style back to his apartment.</p><p>When he got back, Sabo kicked the door open and laid the boy down on the couch. After that, Koala- Who now that bright green hair- came running from the kitchen and landed a kick on his hip.</p><p>“SABO YOU LITTLE SHIT I’M GOING TO- Wait. WHAT DID YOU DO?” Koala screamed at the sight of Luffy.</p><p>To say that Koala was shocked was an understatement. At first, she had thought it was a dead body. To make matters worse, Sabo couldn’t believe that Koala <em>actually</em> thought that he was the one who had murdered the child.</p><p>While Sabo was on the floor groaning in pain from Koala’s kick, she attended to Luffy. She checked for any wounds he might have and carefully cleaned up the dirt all over his body. Of course, Koala made sure to kick Sabo again while she was on the way to kitchen to get a clean washcloth.</p><p>It wasn’t long before Luffy regained consciousness once again. The sweet aroma from the kitchen woke him up and he bolted upright and sniffed the air. Koala noticed this so she brought out a tray of cookies for him to eat. Sabo who saw this, gasped and threw a mini fit.</p><p>“But Koala, those cookies were for me.” He whined.</p><p>Koala glared at him with a murderous look and Sabo winced. It was as if she had a split personality because in the next second, her facial expression completely switched as she smiled at the straw hat man. Sabo who saw this, shuddered in fear. Women were so scary sometimes.</p><p>Luffy on the other hand, happily accepted the cookies Koala had offered him. Koala took a seat next to him (and made sure that Sabo remained on the floor) while he chomped on the cookies.</p><p>“So… Who are you and what happened?” She asked.</p><p>Luffy gulped his cookies and responded. “I’m Monkey D. Luffy. My brother Ace set the building on fire, so Hancock grabbed me and ran. Then she went to get some help so here I am.” Luffy explained.</p><p>Sabo and Koala both blinked in confusion.</p><p>What kind of crazy arsonist brother did Luffy have to set an entire building on fire? Luffy didn’t even look like he went to Corrida College so why on earth would he be with Hancock? Unless… Hancock had the hots for him… But she was already in her late twenties so that couldn’t be right.</p><p>Nevertheless, Koala and Sabo glanced at each other and nodded.</p><p>They were going to adopt Luffy.</p><p>Well, not literally. But clearly whoever that Ace guy was, he wasn’t a very good brother if he had let his younger brother get into such a dangerous situation. Plus, Luffy looked really scrawny and tiny, compared to Sabo at least, so he was going to make sure he took care good Luffy.</p><p>Sabo inched closer towards Luffy and took his hands into his own. Koala raised her eyebrows, wondering what Sabo was doing. He took a deep breath and gave Luffy a dead serious look. “Luffy, I’m Sabo and that is Koala. And from today onwards, I’m going to be your new brother.”</p><p>Luffy spat his cookies, which unfortunately, some of it got on Sabo’s face. Sabo was unfazed but Koala went to get him a tissue so that he could wipe his face. Luffy drank some water before continuing, “But Ace-“</p><p>“I will give you all the meat you want.” Sabo interrupted.</p><p>And that was how Luffy became Sabo’s brother.</p><p>Koala smacked both their heads and <em>sighed.</em> Before she only had one idiot to deal with but now there were two? At this rate, she was going to need a therapist… and a babysitter. But now that the thing with Luffy was settled, she went back to more important things.</p><p>In a split second, Koala lunged towards Sabo who yelped and quickly used Luffy as a shield. Sabo, who was still holding onto Luffy, slid backwards from the couch and tried to move away from Koala as fast as possible.</p><p>She chased them down around the living room, running around in circles. Sabo was praying for his life while Luffy was still eating the cookies while being used as a shield. After a few minutes, Koala got fed up so she stopped chasing them. She had decided to try a different approach.</p><p>“Luffy. If you want more food, you should surrender that man to me.” She smiled sweetly.</p><p>Luffy’s brain short circuited the moment he heard the words ‘more food’. Without any hesitation, he ran towards Koala and hid behind her instead. Sabo gasped and gave him the look of betrayal. He couldn’t believe that Luffy really had the nerve to betray him after Sabo adopted him.</p><p>What happened next went by fairly quickly... for Koala at least.</p><p>After making sure she had whacked him enough she made him do a Japanese dogeza, much to Sabo’s humiliation. She dusted her hands and smirked with satisfaction. It was safe to say that Sabo wouldn’t be pulling anymore pranks on her anytime soon.</p><p>Throughout the rest of the day, Sabo had muttered curses under his breath- which Koala heard, but kindly decided to ignore it- and was tasked with the duty of entertaining Luffy as Koala had to study. The straw hat boy had stayed over at their apartment till past dinner time when Sabo decided to get him home as it was getting rather late.</p><p>They didn’t trust Luffy to go back on his own because well… This man would only go wherever his nose led him to. So, they asked him about his brother or if he had any guardian to come pick him up.</p><p>Luffy gave them a blank look when Sabo had asked about Ace. For all he knew, Ace could have accidentally slept in the fire or, maybe he was getting his ass kicked by Akainu. So, Ace was definitely not an option. Which means, this only left him one other person.</p><p>Of course, it was Luffy’s favourite person, Law.</p><p>The thing was, Ace never gave Luffy a cell phone. He reasoned that Luffy ‘wouldn’t need it’ because he would always be with him. Also, Ace knew that Law would be the one who would <em>suffer</em> if Luffy ever had a cell phone.</p><p>One time when Ace lent Luffy his cellphone for a day, Luffy had spammed Law with text messages. When Law didn’t reply, he started to send pictures of bread to him which scarred the man for life. Ace’s phone bill that month had been nearly five hundred dollars. So, from that day on, Ace and Law agreed that Luffy should never have a cell phone.</p><p>Sabo obviously didn’t know any of this. So, he grumbled about how he could be a much better brother than Ace and how he would give Luffy his own cell phone because he is much better. In which, Luffy nodded and agreed with Sabo.</p><p>When Sabo asked if Luffy had anyone else to contact, he mentioned that he had a boyfriend. Sabo was rather surprised since Luffy definitely didn’t look like the type to date, much less have a boyfriend. He could’ve sworn that the only thing that Luffy would be attracted to would be food.</p><p>Luffy typed in Law’s contact into Sabo’s phone and handed it back to him. Sabo looked at the contact name saved ‘<em>Torao’</em> and raised an eyebrow. Tora as in, tiger? This guy must be a furry, Sabo mentally noted. But Torao was certainly a unique name, he supposed.</p><p>He tapped on the call button and listened to soft ringtone that played while he waited for the other to pick up. The music was oddly familiar. It sounded like… An anime opening? So, this man was a furry and an otaku? Man, Luffy picked a weird one. Here he thought that his own tastes had been weird.</p><p>Finally, the other had finally picked up.</p><p>“Hello? Is this Mister Torao?” Sabo asked with uncertainty.</p><p>“…Who is this?” The other answered after a pause. Sabo could almost feel the other man cringing at the use of his name. God, he hated this conversation so much.</p><p>“Uh, hi. I’m Sabo and your boyfriend’s currently at my house and-”</p><p>“I don’t have a boyfriend.” The man interrupted.</p><p>“Oh, yikes. Uh, just hold on while I go get Lu- CALM DOWN.” Sabo winced.</p><p>That was awkward.</p><p>He assumed that Luffy had some sort of recent breakup with this Torao guy. Relationships could get really messy and he wanted no part of it so, he handed to phone to Luffy who was already attempting to wrestle for it.</p><p>Luffy snatched the phone from Sabo’s hand and yelled straight into receiver. “TORAOOOO I MISSED YOU. ACE WENT TO THE OFFICE AND THE BUILDING CAUGHT ON FIRE-“</p><p>Sabo felt bad for the Torao guy. He could literally hear his stress levels multiplying through the phone call when Luffy had screamed about Ace. The other man sighed loudly and groaned.</p><p>“Hold on. The building caught on WHAT? That’s it I’m going over now. Send me the address.”</p><p>With a click, the line went dead.</p><p>Sabo swiped his phone back from Luffy’s grip and hastily texted his address to the other. He didn’t want to stress Torao any further after listening to his voice.</p><p>Still, this man had seemed far too aggressive to be Luffy’s boyfriend. Or ex-boyfriend, he supposed. How on earth did they even meet? Unless… They happened to be soulmates. But did Luffy even have a soulmate?</p><p>Curious to find out, Sabo turned towards Luffy, who was currently lying face down on his bed, and asked him</p><p>“Luffy, do you have a soulmate?”</p><p>To his surprise, Luffy shook his head. So, did this mean that Luffy hadn’t met his soulmate yet? What about Torao? Luffy could see the confusion on Sabo’s face but he just laughed it off.</p><p>“Shishishi. I like whoever I want and whatever I want.” He grinned in response.</p><p>Sabo had no idea what that statement had meant.</p><p>Was he trying to say that he had no need for a soulmate mark? Was it even possible to defy the laws of nature like that?</p><p>Then again, if anyone could do it, it was probably Luffy.</p><p>Luffy had an odd and endearing charm that was hard to resist. There was just something about him that made Sabo feel like, he could do anything. Maybe it was Luffy’s carefree spirit or how he wore his heart on his sleeve, Sabo wasn’t sure.</p><p>But, the moment he laid his eyes on Luffy, he felt some sort of connection. It was Sabo had been waiting to meet Luffy his whole life, as if they had their own soulmate bond. He hadn’t really figured out what it was yet, but it didn’t really matter since he planned on keeping Luffy around him for a long time.</p><p>For now, he would simply worry about his own soulmate mark.</p><p>And maybe plan another prank on Koala.</p><p>-</p><p>Law had been enjoying his time binging Germa Kingdom with Kid at the apartment when that stupid phone call happened.</p><p>When Law had discovered that Kid was also a fan of the Germa Kingdom series, he decided to invite him in after exchanging phone numbers. Kid had accepted the invitation because well, this was better than homework. But the real reason Kid had decided to stick around was because he was waiting for Luffy to return just so he could exact his revenge.  </p><p>He also thought that Law had wanted… Something more. Which thankfully he didn’t.</p><p>After Kid entered the apartment, he made himself comfortable on the couch by taking the seat next to Law, who then moved to the other end of the couch. Kid was about to open his mouth to make some snarky remark as he wondered why Law had moved aside when Law ran upstairs to his room.</p><p>Kid remained on the couch, confused by the tattooed man’s antics. Less than a minute later, Law came back down with a huge polar bear plushie that wore an orange jumpsuit and placed it in between himself and Kid.</p><p>This had left the crimson haired man even more puzzled than before. He looked at Law, waiting for some sort of explanation but the man had just responded with a poker face. Law then picked up the remote and was about to continue playing the episode he had been watching when Kid spoke.</p><p>“So, are you going to explain what’s with the bear?” Kid asked slowly.</p><p>Law hugged the bear protectively and shot Kid an offended look as if Kid had insulted him.  </p><p>“Eustass-ya, you uncultured swine. This bear’s name is Bepo-ya and he isn’t just ANY bear, he is a polar bear. If you dare insult him one more time, I will personally make sure to haunt you in your sleep.” Law scoffed while stroking Bepo’s fur lovingly.</p><p>Kid swore he felt a vein pop in his head. Just what the hell was wrong with this guy? He gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to scream. Then, he took in a deep breath and attempted to calm himself down. Also, what the fuck was a Eustass-ya?</p><p>An amused smirk graced Law’s lips. Who knew it would be this fun to rile up the red head? Law, who was watching Kid trying his best to calm down, decided to scoot closer next to Kid. In which, Kid growled in response. While the red head looked as if he was about to explode, it didn’t faze Law.</p><p>Instead, he shoved the fluffy bear into Kid’s arms.</p><p>Law was certain he was going to get punched by the man so he braced himself for the impact. However, Kid simply raised his hands, surrendering to whatever bullshit Law wanted, much to Law’s delight. Kid decided that it was best not to argue with the man.</p><p>“Just start the fucking show already.” Kid grumbled, hugging onto Bepo.</p><p>Law chucked and picked up the remote to press the play button. He then returned to his spot next to Kid and rested his head sideways on the plush that laid on Kid’s lap. They stayed like that for a little while before Law decided that he wanted to hug Bepo instead.</p><p>He removed Bepo from under his head- He could’ve sworn that Kid had frowned- and hugged Bepo in his arms instead. However, his head still rested on Kid’s lap. At first, Kid had been annoyed but he eventually gave in.</p><p>A season and 3 episodes later, Law could feel himself drifting off to sleep. Kid had been playing with his hair unconsciously which felt too good for Law to resist. Law didn’t know when but he eventually fell asleep on Kid’s lap. Soon after, Kid himself had been taken by sleep too.</p><p>Until that cursed phone call happened.</p><p>A loud ringing sound caused both Kid and Law to wake up almost immediately. Kid groggily opened his eyes and groaned while Law panicked and searched for his phone. When he found it, he shoved Bepo onto Kid’s face and picked it up immediately.</p><p>When the man on the phone had addressed him as Mister Torao, he guessed something must have happened to Luffy. He cringed so hard even Kid seemed to pity him. As if Mister Torao wasn’t already bad enough, now he was supposed to be Luffy’s <em>boyfriend</em>?</p><p>Kid, who listened to the whole conversation, was laughing his ass off. When Law heard about Ace, his face had paled. Kid could practically see Law’s soul leave his body at the mention of the word ‘boyfriend’. Damn Trafalgar was one unlucky bitch.</p><p>After ending the call, Law hurriedly cleaned up the living room. He switched off the television and quickly grabbed his keys to leave the house. Kid didn’t know if he was supposed to go back to his apartment or not so, he decided to follow Law since he still wanted to get back at Luffy.</p><p>Sabo’s apartment wasn’t that far from his own. In fact, it was only a fifteen minute walk from his own apartment. Law guessed that Sabo was probably from Corrida College as well, seeing how he lived close by. When he finally reached the door, he knocked it impatiently as he waited for the other man to open up.</p><p>The blonde man opened the door only to come face to face with the tattooed man and a redhead. He scanned their appearances and felt slightly intimidated by their size and the permanent frown that stuck on their faces.</p><p>Sabo himself wasn’t a small guy. He actually had a pretty huge build, accompanied by his height, he could easily tower over others. But, the two men that stood outside his door were much taller and rather scary looking. And… they were supposed to be Luffy’s friends?</p><p>He guessed that the tattooed man was ‘Torao’ from his tribal tattoos. He was the one who looked more like a furry than the redhead too. Sabo then awkwardly cleared his throat and spoke, “Oh uh, hi Mister Torao-“ .</p><p>“It’s Law.” The man interrupted.</p><p>Sabo paused for a moment from surprise. Law had looked like he was about to commit murder when he had said ‘Torao’. He smiled sheepishly before he corrected himself. “Sorry, Mister Law. Let me just go get your boyfri- I mean your ex.”</p><p>Law made some noise of frustration while Kid snickered in the background. Sabo might as well have kicked Law in the gut if he was going to mention the word boyfriend again.</p><p>It wasn’t because Law felt that Luffy would make a<em> terrible </em>boyfriend. But, he had so desperately tried to prevent Luffy from ever learning the word ‘boyfriend’ because he knew that Luffy would NEVER give it a rest. Luffy would simply refer to Law as his boyfriend wherever he went.</p><p>That was a problem because… it really killed Law’s chances of ever getting laid.</p><p>“He’s more like… Luffy’s really attractive babysitter.” The redhead interjected, smirking at Law who had facepalmed.</p><p>Sabo had to hold back a scoff. Law wasn’t THAT attractive, in his opinion anyways. Sure, the tattoos were pretty hot but he preferred someone who was more… lively? Someone who was more hot headed, kind of like fire.</p><p>“Oh? Well… That’s uh. Cool?” Sabo chuckled nervously in response.</p><p>Law could sense the awkwardness in Sabo’s voice and wanted to apologize on Kid’s behalf. “No I-“, he started.</p><p>“TORAOOOOOO! YOU CAME!! OH? YOU BROUGHT JAGGY TOO!”</p><p>All of a sudden, Law found himself being tackled onto the floor.</p><p>Luffy had jumped on Law, who stumbled and fell on his ass. Law groaned in pain from the impact while Sabo did absolutely nothing to stop Luffy. That bastard had even taken a photo. Kid on the other hand, seethed in anger upon seeing the straw hat boy.  </p><p>“Straw hat, I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.” Kid growled.</p><p>“Hah? What do you mean?” Luffy blinked in confusion.</p><p>Law was still trapped by Luffy’s legs as he was straddling his torso in a very obscene position. He desperately tried to break from his position but was terribly unsuccessful. Instead, Luffy pressed his body harder onto Law who tried to stifle a groan. At this rate, Law was going to have a MASSIVE problem.</p><p>Though, no one else seemed to notice the problem Law was having. Sabo was just watching Kid and Luffy going at it while Law suffered. And Kid… Kid was about to have an aneurysm from Luffy.</p><p>“You-“ Kid roared. He cracked his knuckles and clenched his fists, ready to punch Luffy. Sabo who was at the side, moved himself of Luffy and Law to protect them from Kid’s wrath.</p><p>Law really just wanted to buried in a grave.  </p><p>“OH!!” Luffy exclaimed.</p><p>Kid held back his fists, thinking that Luffy had finally remembered what he had done wrong. The straw hat couldn’t possible THAT dense, right? Well, Kid had hoped too soon.</p><p>Much to Law’s horror, Luffy turned to him and grinned. “The turkey leg? Yeah, it was really great thanks!”</p><p>It was going to be a long, long night.</p><p>-</p><p>Somehow the aftermath of the fire had been so much worse than the fire itself.</p><p>Well, for Ace at least.</p><p>The fire had eventually been put out by the firefighters because Hancock had managed to call for help just in time. Thankfully, the fire hadn’t caused too much damage to the school besides the counsellor’s room. There was also not many casualties, besides Ivankov, whose fishnet stockings caught on fire, and a few others.</p><p>Of course, Ace himself had suffered the most damage.</p><p>Besides the burns on his skin, there was a more pressing problem. Since his ass had caught on fire, his pants had a huge hole right smack in the middle, exposing his ass crack. When the fire had been put out, Ace started running down the hallways in an attempt to escape the punishment that would come later.</p><p>That random guy, whose crotch had been violated by Ace, chased after him as he wanted to give the boy a towel so that he could… Cover up his ass.</p><p>Needless to say, the teachers, students and firefighters he had ran past were unamused at the sight of his butt. The police, who had also arrived to investigate the cause of the fire, blew their whistles at him and wanted to arrest him for public indecency.</p><p>After chasing Ace for about ten minutes, the man had finally managed to catch Ace. He grabbed Ace by the arm and attempted to make Ace hold still. Ace tried to shake away his arm and run away but he couldn’t.</p><p>Ace had thought that the man was about to bring him back to the teachers so that he could be reported. So, he tried to slap the man’s hands away in protest, but the other was much stronger.</p><p>“Just. Hold STILL.” The man pleaded exasperatedly. God, what did this kid eat to have this much strength?</p><p>Ace shook his head violently and screamed. “NO. YOU’LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE.”</p><p>“YOUR ASS IS SHOWING AND YOU’RE BLEEDING YOU DUMBASS. I’M TRYING TO COVER IT UP FOR YOU, YOI.” The man and yelled back.</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>With that, Ace had finally remained still when he saw that his ass was indeed, exposed. He blushed furiously at the blonde man who wrapped his jacket around his waist and looked away in shame.</p><p>After making sure that the knot was secure, the man sighed. This man was much too youthful. Ace had WAY too much energy for him to keep up with. He noticed the blush on Ace’s face and just rolled his eyes. He definitely did not get paid enough to deal with this.</p><p>“Come with me to the infirmary and we’ll get your wounds treated, yoi.” He muttered tiredly.</p><p>When they had reached the infirmary, the man handed Ace a set of clean clothes from the lost and found so that he could change into it. After changing, Ace was made to sit down on the bed while the man gathered his medical supplies to treat Ace.</p><p>“Sooo… You got a name?” Ace asked while swinging his legs, staring at the man’s back.</p><p>“Marco.” The man answered.</p><p>Ace pondered over this new information. <em>Marco huh?</em> That was a nice name. He might have a weird slang but the man himself has rather attractive, if he might add. He was much taller than Ace and he was rather buff. More importantly, the man was blonde.</p><p>And blondes were Ace’s favourite.</p><p>Marco could practically feel Ace ogling over him, which left him rather weirded out. He ignored it while he continued to tend to the wounds on Ace’s arms and legs. While he carefully used a cloth to clean the blood off Ace’s wounds, he noticed Ace trying not to hiss in pain. Marco chuckled at this but continued anyways because Ace totally deserved the pain.</p><p>After applying the medication on the wounds present on Ace’s limbs, Marco realized something.</p><p>He had to treat the wound on Ace’s ass.</p><p>Marco took a deep breath and did his best not to scream. Ace had just stared at him weirdly because he had some sort of a constipated look on his face. After rationalizing that it was simply a thing he needed to do as a DOCTOR, he calmed down and turned to Ace.</p><p>“Take off your pants and lie down.”</p><p>Ace chortled in laughter and then wriggled his eyebrows suggestively. “I’d preferred to have dinner first but I’m not complaining.”</p><p>Marco groaned. This kid was literally going to be the death of him. His life span was going to shorten by another ten years if he continued talking to Ace. But at this rate, maybe dying early wouldn’t be such a bad thing.</p><p>“Just do it.” He grumbled.</p><p>Ace stood up and tried to remove his pants seductively. Marco had turned away from the sight because he didn’t want to give Ace anymore ideas. Plus, it was rather inappropriate considering their age difference. Ace then got into position and laid down on his stomach and nudged Marco when he was ready.</p><p>Marco quickly used a blanket to cover Ace’s top half and his legs. He didn’t want to see more than necessary- though, he had to admit that Ace DID have a nice ass. Using another clean washcloth, he cleaned up the blood and applied the medication before bandaging it up.</p><p>The younger man had been staring at Marco as he worked but Marco was focused on his own task. When he was done, he turned his back once more so that Ace could put on his pants. Ace tapped his shoulder and when Marco turned around… Yeah, he should’ve guessed that Ace would do such a thing.</p><p>Of course, that bastard hadn’t worn his pants.</p><p>Marco clicked his tongue in annoyed as Ace snickered and finally pulled up his pants. A moment of silence passed as Ace and Marco just stared at each other, not knowing what to say or do.</p><p>“So, am I in trouble now?” Ace slowly asked.</p><p>Marco snorted in response. Was the kid really asking him that? “No, what made you think so? You are going to be just fine, yoi.” He replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.</p><p>Ace smiled. He sighed in relief and wiped his forehead. “Cool. Thank go-“</p><p>“OF COURSE YOU’RE IN TROUBLE. YOU JUST BURNED DOWN SCHOOL AGAIN.” Marco yelled.</p><p>Ace flinched and raised his hands defensively. How was he supposed to know? He had already explained to Akainu multiple times that he had terrible luck with fire and he couldn’t help it. However, it obviously never worked as Akainu punished him each time he did set some part of the school on fire.</p><p>The only reason why he hadn’t been suspended yet is because of his grandfather, Garp, who was the chief of the police force. Akainu had owed him some sort of personal debt in the past so he (unfortunately) had to keep Ace in his school.</p><p>Also, there were teachers who actually liked Ace and would stand up for him as well. One of them was Corazon, Law’s adoptive father. Corazon was an extremely clumsy man himself and he would frequently set himself on fire multiple times a week. So, he would vouch for Ace whenever he claimed that the fires were accidental.</p><p>Still, he really did NOT want to get punished again. He had already been the cause of three other fires that week and if Akainu hears about this one, Ace was sure to get suspended. It was either that or he would get murdered by Garp.</p><p>Marco noticed Ace spacing out with a rather solemn look on his face.</p><p>He knew about Ace’s infamous reputation as the school’s arsonist from the other teachers when he had first transferred to the school. Thatch, his friend and colleague who was a professor in the culinary major, had spoken to him about Ace’s antics and warned him beforehand.</p><p>At first, he thought it had been a hilarious joke because really, what was an accidental arsonist? How does one accidentally set the school on fire multiple times? Well, after meeting the man himself, Marco could totally understand what Thatch had meant.</p><p>Man, Ace really had shit luck with fire.</p><p>Marco took a deep breath and breathed out hard. Ace was still sulking in the corner, probably thinking about how he was going to get his ass kicked by Akainu. Marco groaned loudly which caught Ace’s attention. Ace gave him an odd look and raised his eyebrow.</p><p>“Look. If anyone asks, just say that I was the one who accidentally started the fire.”</p><p>That seemed to cheer up the freckled man because he suddenly leapt onto Marco, who nearly didn’t catch him in time. If Marco had dropped Ace in that second, he was positive that Ace’s ass was going to bleed <em>again</em>.</p><p>Ace buried his face into Marco’s neck and nuzzled him. “You’re the best, pineapple!”</p><p>“Call me pineapple again and I’ll make sure you’ll never be able to talk again, yoi.”</p><p>-</p><p>The events at the principal’s office had been rather anticlimatic.</p><p>Akainu was rather skeptical when Marco had said that he was the cause of the fire instead of Ace. Akainu was sure that Ace had been the cause of the fire, since he had caused many fires before. There was NO WAY Ace wasn’t the cause of the fire.</p><p>When he had asked Hancock and Ivankov who started it, they had shrugged in response and said everything happened too quickly. Akainu was about to question Ace himself when Marco had interrupted by saying that the lighter the firefighters had found belonged to him.</p><p>Akainu knew that if Marco really was the cause of the fire, he was powerless to do anything as it had been an accident. Also, Marco was the son of Edward Newgate (also known as Whitebeard), who happened to be the mayor of Dressrosa.</p><p>Portgas D. Ace really was a lucky piece of shit.</p><p>So, Akainu had no choice but to let him go this time, despite the past three fires that Ace had also caused that week. Ace had to hold back a grin when Akainu told him that he wouldn’t be punished. He really had to thank the pineapple man.</p><p>However, Ace was held back by police who wanted a statement about the fire. That itself had took several hours because well… He was a dumbass.</p><p>It <em>might </em>have been because Ace had tried running away because he thought he was going to get arrested. He might have <em>also</em> have made himself looked extra suspicious by screaming something like, ”YOU WILL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE.”</p><p>When he was finally done, he decided to call Law.</p><p>He had seen Hancock running away with Luffy so he hoped that somehow Luffy managed to find his way back to Law and not runaway with some random stranger. It would be rather problematic if Ace had to deal with a bunch of strangers who decided to kidnap Luffy.</p><p>The phone rang for a little while before Law had finally picked up. He heard some sort of yelling in the background and some really odd noises. Ace was about to question Law when he had finally spoke.</p><p>“Ace you fucking bastard.”</p><p>Ace winced. He definitely owed Law big time now. “I KNOW, I’M SORRY. But is Luffy with you? Please tell me he’s there.”</p><p>“Get your fucking ass to this address now.” Law muttered angrily. The other man hung up the phone after that and sent Ace an address.</p><p>Ace started to feel slightly panicky. Had something happened to Luffy? Were they alright? It did sound like some fight was going on wherever Law was at. Or, it could be a party… Right? Regardless, he navigated his way to the location as quickly as he could.</p><p>When he had arrived, he saw Luffy and a redhaired man arguing. A blonde man stood in front of Luffy protectively, standing up for him. Ace looked around for Law until he realized that Law was laying on the floor, trapped between Luffy’s legs. He looked absolutely miserable it made Ace chuckle.</p><p>“Please get them to stop.” Law pleaded.</p><p>Ace laughed and nodded. He turned his attention towards the blonde man who had noticed Ace’s presence and asked, “And who might you be?”</p><p>The blonde haired man furrowed his eyebrows and glared at Ace. Ace felt a little taken aback as he felt as if he had offended the man. Had he even met this man before? Why the hell was he so aggressive?</p><p>“I’m Sabo. Luffy’s new older brother. I’m assuming you might be Ace?”, the man answered.</p><p>Ace nodded in response. “Yeah, how did you kn- Wait”</p><p>He paused.</p><p>“Did you just call yourself Luffy’s new older brother?”, Ace growled.</p><p>It hadn’t even been five minutes since he met Sabo and somehow, he was Luffy’s new older brother? Just what on earth did Sabo do to Luffy? Ace was so going to beat this man up.</p><p>Sabo smirked confidently, seeing how he managed to enrage Ace. He could totally be a better brother to Luffy and if Ace wanted a fight, he would give him one.</p><p> “I did.” Sabo grinned.</p><p>In an instant, Ace moved forward and grabbed Sabo’s shirt and pulled him closer. “You listen here, I’m Luffy’s ONLY brother.”, he snarled.</p><p>Sabo laughed in response. He wasn’t the slightest bit intimidated by Ace. After all, he was taller than the other man so, what could he possibly do? “Clearly you aren’t doing a very good job if you didn’t know he got caught in a fire.”, Sabo responded.</p><p>“STOP.”</p><p>Everyone turned to look at Law, who had finally lost his patience. He shoved Luffy off him and got up on his feet. He was silent for a moment then, he began laughing like a maniac. The rest had immediately backed away when they saw the evil grin on his face.</p><p>“Look, this has been fun but I just want to have nice shower and possibly sleep. So, we are going back now. As for Eustass-ya and Straw hat-ya, you can continue this another day because otherwise, I’m not sure you’ll have your organs when you wake up tomorrow.” He spoke.</p><p>Luffy and Ace shuddered and nodded quickly. They both knew how scary Law could be when he was angry. Law wasn’t actually kidding about dissecting them, so they didn’t dare to anger him. On the other hand, Kid and Sabo had just kept silent but agreed that they should all give it a rest for now.</p><p>Law gloated triumphantly. That was easy enough. He could finally get back to the apartment and take a well-deserved break. Maybe he could get some homework done or read a book.</p><p>Little do they know, Law just wanted to watch the new episode of Germa Kingdom.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hope you liked it LMAO As usual, sorry for any errors because I don't have a beta reader asisdjsd I'll do my best to update every week :')<br/>Also, I think this story might be really slow burn,,,,. Which means this fic will probably be long (if i dont lose motivation lol). There are going to be lots of side ships because I love all the characters HAHAHA  But it'll mostly be SaboAce and LawXsomeone (bc like i said, he has a harem,,, but eventual Kidlaw).</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Blasphemy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry it took me 2 weeks to update :( I was really busy with school work so this took awhile. Rest assured because I still have lots of ideas for this fic. I promise that it'll get somewhere ,,, eventually AHAHA<br/>with that, please enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been a few days since the soulmate mark had appeared on Ace and it was driving him nuts.</p><p>Each day, a different message would appear on Ace’s arm and whoever his soulmate was, they gave absolutely no clues as to revealing their identity. If anything, it just made Ace question his soulmate even more thanks to the weird innuendos that appeared.</p><p>
  <em>‘Ah, it’s so big.’</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘Oh my god, quickly put it in!’  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘Fuck, that’s so hot.’</em>
</p><p>Yeah.</p><p>Ace wasn’t sure if his soulmate had been purposely saying or thinking weird thoughts but whichever it was, he just prayed that his soulmate would <em>stop</em>. He had to wear long sleeved shirts every single day just to make sure no one would see the messages on his arm. And, Ace HATED long sleeved shirts, or just shirts in general.</p><p>In return, Ace had tried to think of some sexy thoughts just to get back at his soulmate. Of course, there was no way he could find out which message would eventually appear on his soulmate. So, he had been trying to discreetly insert innuendos with anybody he talked to just to make sure.</p><p>This however, had annoyed Sanji to no end.</p><p>Vinsmoke Sanji, he had befriended Ace and Luffy when he had first moved to East Blue when he was fourteen. Ace and Luffy had been kind enough to bring him around East Blue and introduce him to their friends. They had been a notorious clique in high school along with Zoro, Usopp and Nami. Since then, they had remained as good friends.</p><p>Eventually, they had all attended the same college as Corrida College was the only college in Dressrosa. Thankfully, Corrida College had one of the finest culinary courses in the country so he could still hangout with his clique whenever he wanted to.</p><p>Their clique frequently had lunch together after their classes, with the exception of Luffy and Usopp who were still in high school but would join if their classes ended early. So, since they pretty much saw each other every single day, Sanji had been on the receiving end of Ace’s horrible flirting.</p><p>Zoro and Nami in contrast, were absolutely to immune to Ace’s flirting attempts. Zoro was… Oblivious to any sort of pick up line that Ace threw at him while Nami had simply beat Ace up every time he did try to use a pickup line on her.</p><p>After a few days, Sanji had eventually given up all hope in humanity. He decided that Ace was going to continue flirting with them till he found his soulmate, he was going to at least teach Ace how to flirt properly.</p><p>He instructed Ace to bring along a friend to practice with because he really did NOT want Ace flirting with him anymore than he already had. So, on one particular day, Ace had brought a tattooed man with raven hair with him to their usual lunch gatherings.</p><p>The man, introduced as Trafalgar ‘Torao’ Law, was much taller than he was. He looked as if he had better places to be and he definitely was not interested in whatever Ace had roped him into, considering the irritated expression on his face. Regardless, Ace still desperately tried his best to convince the man.</p><p>Until, the man finally took a glance at Sanji and then he froze.</p><p>He stared at Sanji in awe, much to Sanji’s confusion. Sanji raised his eyebrow and stared back at the man. Was the man looking at someone behind him? Or was there something on his face?</p><p>Ace had snapped his fingers in front of the tattooed man’s face but he did not even blink. He repeatedly called his name, but still, there was no response. It was as if the man’s brain had short circuited and stopped functioning at all. </p><p>Sanji moved towards the man experimentally to see if he had any sort of reaction. When he did so, Law took in a deep breath and held it as if he were trying to hold back a scream. What on earth was up with this man?</p><p>He took another step closer and suddenly, Law backed away behind Ace. He used Ace as a shield and peeped from behind his back, despite how Ace was much shorter than he was. Law stared at Sanji for another moment longer until he finally spoke.</p><p>“You... Aren’t you Vinsmoke Sanji?” Law asked unsurely.</p><p>Sanji furrowed his eyebrows. He had specifically requested for his last name to be kept a confidential as he had a complicated history. Ever since Sanji had moved to East Blue, he had not told anyone- besides his clique of course- about his true name.</p><p>He had been living under a false name, Sanji Prince, ever since then. So, how on earth did this man know? Was he a spy for his father?</p><p>“How did you find out about my last name? I’m pretty sure I’ve never met you in my entire life.” Sanji asked.</p><p>Law pondered over his answer as he considered what he should say. The next thing he said had certainly surprised him.</p><p>“You are Stealth Black aren’t you?”</p><p>Sanji choked on his own spit and started coughing madly.</p><p>Nami had thrown him tissues and gave him a glass of water (like the angel she was) while Zoro laughed at Sanji’s plight. Ace had a look of confusion on his face while Law remained impassive.</p><p>After he had calmed down, he wiped his mouth and glared at Law. “… How did you find out?” Sanji questioned.</p><p>Law shrugged in response. “Everyone in North Blue knows.”, he replied.</p><p>Ace, Nami and Zoro were more lost than ever. They had absolutely no idea what was going on between Law and Sanji, since they were all from the East Blue. Sure, Sanji had told them about his real name. However, they didn’t think too much about it.</p><p>On the other hand, Law who was from North Blue, knew EVERYTHING about Sanji. Well, he certainly knew a lot more than Ace who had known Sanji for years now. So, Ace slapped Law’s arm and pegged him to explain himself.</p><p>Law glanced towards Sanji, seeking permission to explain the situation. Sanji sighed in response. He supposed that it was about time he told his friends the truth about his ambiguous background.</p><p>He nodded in Law’s direction and he began to explain.</p><p>“Stealth Black is… A character from a series known as The Germa Kingdom. The show is about how a man known as Sora, the sky warrior, is trying to bring down the kingdom so that the world will be free from their rule. But, goddamn Germa 66 just had to ruin everything and make his life so much harder and-“</p><p>“Just get to the goddamn point.” Sanji interrupted.</p><p>The more he listened to Law talk about the series, the more embarrassed he felt. His cheeks had already begun to turn into a light pink shade. If he went on any longer, Sanji was actually going to hop off a fucking cliff.</p><p>Law glared at Sanji, almost as if he was annoyed that Sanji had interrupted him. He cleared his throat and continued.</p><p>“Stealth Black was a character that appeared over a decade ago. He was everybody’s favourite character in North Blue. So, they decided to make a short live adaptation of his arc, ‘The Soba Mask’. Point is, the actor who played Stealth Black was Sanj-“</p><p>“OKAY STOP.”</p><p>Law shot Sanji another murderous look. But, Sanji couldn’t take it anymore. He never had to talk about his past to anybody until now. It was just too embarrassing for him to deal with. A moment of silence passed before Ace began to speak.</p><p>“So… You’re like an actor huh?” Ace mused.</p><p>“Wow! Sanji-kun, don’t forget your best friends when you get famous.”</p><p>“Hah? The cook is famous? Stop joking around.”</p><p>“WOULD YOU GUYS PLEASE SHUT UP- except for you, my lovely Nami-swan.” Sanji yelled. He made sure to add that last part before Nami actually kicked his ass all the way back to North Blue.</p><p>However, that seemed to quieten his friends. Sanji sighed and rubbed his temple. Why was he friends with these idiots again? Now with this emo tattooed man joining their clique, their stupidity seemed to get worse.</p><p>“I grew up in a city North Blue before I moved here. My family is…  My dad that one famous director, Vinsmoke Judge. So, as you know, he tried to get all his kids to follow his footsteps. And yes, I did play Stealth Black back then because I was forced to. But-”</p><p>“I knew it.” Law mumbled.</p><p>Sanji tutted his tongue in annoyance when he looked at Law’s expression. Law had a satisfied look on his face when Sanji had confirmed his suspicions. Then, the others had stared at Law who nodded apologetically, allowing Sanji to continue.</p><p>“But, I desperately wanted to be a cook instead. Everyone laughed at me except my sister, Reiju. A few years ago, she helped me escape to East Blue so, here I am. Ever since then, I had hidden my real name.” He explained.</p><p>Ace and Nami nodded sympathetically, patting him on the back as if to comfort him. Zoro had just scoffed, which irked Sanji to no end. Law was… He repeatedly muttered <em>‘Damn you Germa 66’</em> under his breath.</p><p>Sanji was sure that Law was a diehard fan.</p><p>After a while, Sanji began to feel slightly awkward from the tense atmosphere. He felt as if he had overshared about his personal life and god. It was so <em>embarrassing</em>.</p><p>“That’s enough about me. We are here for Ace so, let’s get back to it.” Sanji suddenly spoke, trying to change the topic. The rest nodded and was about to get back to helping Ace when Law interrupted.</p><p>“Wait.”</p><p>Sanji turned to look at him and waited for him to continue speaking. Law fidgeted uncomfortably, hesitating to speak. Sanji tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for Law, until he finally mumbled.</p><p>“Could I… get an autograph….”</p><p>Oh, for fuck’s sake.</p><p>Sanji rolled his eyes and groaned but complied anyways. He took the marker and paper that Law had offered him and hastily wrote the words ‘Love, Stealth Black’ before signing his name.</p><p>Law’s eyes were practically gleaming like a little kid who just received a present on Christmas. He stared at the signature in awe before taking a picture of it and sending it to his friend. Ace and Nami snickered and whispered how Sanji had just met his number one fan. Zoro was just… grumpy and annoyed as per usual.</p><p>“Are we done? Can we PLEASE just go back to helping the fire fucker.” Sanji groaned.</p><p>In Sanji’s opinion, that was enough embarrassment for one day. He didn’t want to give his friends any ideas in case they decided to blackmail him. If Law decided to spout anymore crap about Germa or his past, he was actually going to <em>murder</em> the tattooed man.</p><p>Thankfully the rest nodded and agreed that they should focus on Ace’s problem.</p><p>To start off, Sanji decided to give Ace some general tips on how to properly flirt. Sanji explained that it while Ace certainly had the confidence and attitude, he certainly did not know the right things to say.</p><p>“What’s wrong with my pickup lines?” Ace retorted.</p><p>Sanji glared at him, the veins on his foreheads were pulsing rapidly. Was this man stupid or what? He took a deep breath and then smiled at Ace.  </p><p>“Are you really asking me that? You literally said, ‘Did it hurt when you fell from heaven onto my boner’. Try telling that to Nami-san and see what she would do to you.” Sanji answered.</p><p>Ace shrugged. He then turned to Nami and uttered that pickup line with the sexiest voice he could muster. In response to that, both Nami and Zoro punched him on both sides of his face. On the other hand, Law scoffed and muttered ‘dumbass’ when Ace got punched.</p><p>“YOU GUYS ARE MEAN.” Ace cried while rubbing the sides of his face that were hurting from Nami and Zoro’s punch.</p><p>Sanji grinned at the sight of Ace. He was no sadist but it was satisfying to see Ace being beat up. “No, you’re just a dumbass. But as you can see, your ‘methods’ are clearly not working.” Sanji responded.</p><p>He continued to explain how his pickup lines should be classy and smooth instead of crude and disgusting like the ones that Ace himself had come up with. Ace argued that he needed it to be disgusting on purpose so that he could get back at his soulmate.</p><p>“The whole reason I had to come up with those ‘horrible’ pickup lines was because my fucking soulmate keeps thinking of weird things. Just look!”</p><p>Ace rolled up his sleeve and showed his friends the message that was on his arm today.</p><p>
  <em>‘Those are some nice buns.’ </em>
</p><p>Sanji chuckled at the message while Law had snorted in response. Nami and Zoro were already laughing uncontrollably with tears streaming down their faces. Well, at least this sort of explained why Ace had to say such horrible pickup lines.</p><p>After they had calmed down from laughing Ace’s demise, Sanji continued, “Yeah but that’s no way to woo a lady. Do you really want your soulmate to leave you before you guys even meet?”</p><p>Ace shifted in his seat uncomfortably. Of course, he didn’t want to scare his soulmate away but… Really? He had been dealing with her terribly dirty thoughts. Although he knew the messages weren’t intentional, he still had the right to get back at her, right?</p><p>“Well… No but…“</p><p>“Which is why, you need to learn the proper way to talk to a lady.” Sanji explained.</p><p>Sanji proceeded to lecture Ace on how to properly talk to a lady for the next ten minutes, telling him about how he should act and what to say. Then, he requested Nami to help him so that he could demonstrate how Ace should act with his soulmate.</p><p>“Mmm… No. Get Torao to be your partner.” Nami replied with an evil grin on her face.</p><p>Now, if there was one thing that Sanji had learned about Nami after being friends with her for many years, it was to agree with whatever she said. As much as he would rather plead for her to be his partner, he didn’t want her to start charging him money.</p><p>So Sanji turned to Law, whose cheeks were starting to turn into a light shade of pink. Sanji’s eyebrows began to twitch in annoyance. Why the hell was he getting flustered for no reason? Was he okay? Mister emo man with many tattoos, please stay in character for God’s sake!</p><p>Law’s heart was not ready for whatever was about to come. He knew what a ‘kabedon’ was but… In most cases, he would be the one doing it because he had a more dominant personality than most. It was an easy thing to do to get girls in at a club to fall for him.</p><p>However, the thought of his childhood crush Stealth Black- No, Sanji doing it was just too much for him to handle. When he was a little kid back in North Blue, he always hoped that he would someday be able to meet Stealth Black. This was just fulfilling all his fantasies.</p><p>“I…“ Law began.</p><p>“I’ll do it.”</p><p>Everybody’s heads turned to look at Zoro, who had volunteered to be Sanji’s test subject. Law grumbled in disappointment while Sanji’s eyes just grew wider by the second.</p><p>“HAH? Marimo?” Sanji snorted.</p><p>He began to laugh in disbelief. To think the Mosshead could even utter a nice thing to a lady was unimaginable. Did the Marimo even have any experience in dating or whatever? Sanji didn’t seem to recall Zoro even have any interest in females, or anyone for that matter.</p><p>Zoro furrowed his eyebrows. “What? You think I can’t handle a little flirting?” He growled.</p><p>Sanji rolled his eyes and shrugged. “Tch. How would I know? You have moss for brains so I doubt you’d even know a thing about romance.”</p><p>“Oh yeah?”</p><p>In a split second, Zoro pushed Sanji down on the bench and hovered over him. He grabbed Sanji’s tie and pulled him closer such that their noses were lightly touching each other. Sanji was too shocked to respond while the others had continued watching them.</p><p>Zoro eyed him dangerously, like Sanji was his prey. Sanji began to blink nervously, trying to look away from Zoro’s gaze. Zoro licked his lips and grinned at the sight. He then leaned towards Sanji’s ear and whispered, “Guess I win.”</p><p>Afterwards, Zoro let go of the tie and Sanji’s head fell back on the bench with a soft ‘thud’. It took a few moments for Sanji to process what had happened. He was feeling rather warm, not from embarrassment but from anger.</p><p>“YOU STUPID MOSSHEAD.”</p><p>While Sanji and Zoro fought, Ace and Law desperately tried to tear them apart. Instead, they got dragged into the fight as well.</p><p>Nami, on the other hand, looked through her gallery of pictures that she took that day. She figured that the picture of Sanji and Zoro would make good money if she decided to sell it. She smiled in satisfaction.</p><p>It was a great day for a fujoshi*.</p><p>-</p><p>For the past week, Sabo had been learning to bake thanks to Koala.</p><p>Ever since his soulmate mark had appeared, Koala insisted on teaching him some ‘life skills’ so that his next soulmate would be ‘impressed’ to find out that he had life skills and wasn’t completely useless.</p><p>From his soulmate marks, he could tell that his soulmate was a hopeless cause. Sabo had been receiving very mundane messages like ‘I’m so tired’, ‘I want food’. If Sabo was being honest, it seemed like his soulmate was a total loser.</p><p>He really hoped his soulmate wouldn’t turn out to be a slob.</p><p>Sabo hadn’t had any classes that week because of the fire. Ivankov had taken the week off because he claimed that he was experiencing ‘emotional heartache’ because his office had been damaged by the flames.</p><p>But really, he was mostly upset because his fishnet stockings had been burnt.</p><p>So, Dragon decided it would be a great opportunity to give the students a week off from classes to work on their assignments and take a break from their hectic schedule. After all, political science was an extremely difficult major.</p><p>Being a good student, Koala had already finished her assignments beforehand. Sabo was… trying his best for sure. He had almost completed his work thanks to Koala’s constant nagging. Which is why, Koala decided that they should do something fun like baking.</p><p>They had invited Luffy to their apartment to hangout and be their food tester. Luffy had happily agreed of course. He would NEVER say no to free food. He went to their apartment after school and brought along his friend, Usopp, as he claimed that he was hiding from a mafia boss and he ‘couldn’t go home’.</p><p>While Luffy and Sabo believed him, Koala obviously didn’t. But, Usopp seemed like a good kid so she had allowed him to stay.</p><p>Koala went to clean up the kitchen, while Sabo and Luffy hungrily chomped on the buns that they had made (They were really good by the way). She decided to let Sabo watch over Luffy and Usopp as she didn’t trust them to sit still. Though, it seemed like Usopp was the one taking care of them.</p><p>Inviting Usopp eventually turned out to be the best decision ever (for Sabo at least) because Sabo had learnt so much more about Usopp. He had no idea Usopp was much a magnificent man!</p><p>It had all began when Luffy had decided to reveal Usopp’s ‘true identity’.</p><p>“Oh oh Sabo! Did you know that Usopp was the founder of a religion?” Luffy asked excitedly.</p><p>Sabo raised his eyebrows in confusion and turned to look at the long nosed man who was fidgeting nervously. Was Usopp a priest or something? Sabo wasn’t a religious man by any means but there was <em>no way</em> that Usopp was a priest. Or maybe he was a cult leader?</p><p>“What do you mean?” Sabo inquired curiously.  </p><p>Luffy grinned excitedly and began to explain. “So Usopp is like, the secret long lost son of the Kingdom of Alabasta. You know Princess Vivi? Usopp is like he biological brother! But, the kingdom threw him out at a young age so he ended up in East Blue.”</p><p>Sabo nodded slowly, trying to comprehend whatever Luffy was saying. So, this Usopp guy was like a prince or something? The thought of Usopp being a prince made him snort- in which Usopp glared at him in response.</p><p>Still, it was surprising to hear that Princess Vivi had some sort of secret long lost brother. The Alabasta Kingdom was a huge mess since Crocodile tried to overthrow the kingdom. So maybe it wasn’t so impossible?</p><p>“Okay…? What does this have to do with him being some founder of a religion?” Sabo questioned.</p><p>Luffy hopped excitedly and continued explaining. “I’m getting there. It’s a really loooooong story. But anyways, while he was travelling to Dressrosa, he met many slaves along the way. But he freed all of them! He volunteered to sacrifice to himself and take on their sins. So he was crucified for being the prince and…..-“</p><p>The more Luffy talked, the more Sabo was intrigued with this Usopp guy. Although, his backstory did seem quite similar to another religion’s story. But it was really impressive how Usopp was so heroic and even managed to revive from the dead!</p><p>“… Also, did you know? Usopp true name is actually Go D. Usopp!!! Ever since he saved those slaves, people started worshipping him and he even has an online fan page called UsoLand of the Usoppians.” Luffy leaped happily.</p><p>Usopp smiled sheepishly and awkwardly laughed when Luffy had revealed Usopp’s ‘true name’. He had told that story to Luffy on a whim as he thought that Luffy wouldn’t tell the story to anyone else. He hadn’t wanted anyone else to know because…</p><p>It was a complete lie.</p><p>The truth was, he did meet a group of slaves but… He was captured along with them. Usopp had just gotten lucky because he managed to slip some extremely spicy herb he had made into kidnapper’s water. So, when he had bawled in pain, Usopp managed to free everyone and somehow, he got stuck with the name ‘God Usopp’ ever since.</p><p>Though, the prince thing? Yeah that was a complete lie.</p><p>Unfortunately for Usopp, Sabo was absolutely oblivious to the lie and in fact, he was starstruck. He stared at Usopp in awe, like the man was God himself. Luffy was no better, his eyes were practically stars and he was hopping in excitement.</p><p>“… How do I join this… religion.” Sabo muttered.</p><p>Usopp choked. He had to stop this before it got any worse.</p><p>“Ah enough about me! Uh. If you want a real God… What about Ace! Yeah… Hahaha.” Usopp laughed nervously, trying to change the topic.</p><p>Sabo’s expression immediately turned into a frown. Why did it always come back to Ace? Was this man really THAT great? “Ace? You mean Luffy’s other brother? What does he have to do with this?” Sabo asked.</p><p>“Oh Ace? He also gets called God by other people!” Luffy chimed in happily, much to Usopp relief.</p><p>“Him? A God? Please.” Sabo scoffed and rolled his eyes.</p><p>As if Ace could be a God. What would he be the God of? Freckles? Ugly hats? Please, he was nowhere near Usopp’s level of greatness.</p><p>“It’s true! Look, here is his Youtube channel.” Usopp argued.</p><p>Usopp quickly tapped on the Youtube app on his phone and searched for Ace’s youtube channel. ‘<em>Fire Fist Ace</em>’ Sabo mentally noted. Usopp played the video at the top of the channel’s page titled ‘Sand Planet’ and showed it to Sabo.</p><p>Sabo watched the video intently. Ace was dancing but for some reason, he did not have a shirt on. If anything, this video just made Sabo question this man even more. Just what kind of man was Ace? Was he a stripper? Why on earth did he Luffy have his Youtube channel?  </p><p>He scrolled down to the comments and saw that people were indeed commenting that he was a God but, not quite in the way Sabo expected. The comments had mostly talked about how Ace had the <em>body</em> of a God. Sabo scrolled back to the video and stared at Ace’s body.</p><p>He watched how the dripping sweat on Ace’s sun-kissed skin made his body glisten in the sunlight. Along with the smug look on his face and the way his muscles flexed with each dance move, there was no denying that Ace was attractive.</p><p>The longer Sabo stared, the more he wondered what it would be like to run his hands all over Ace’s nicely defined abs. He even had to close his mouth just in case he started drooling. Sabo might not like Ace, but wow, this man really did have the body of a God.</p><p>Usopp noticed how focused Sabo was on the video. He noted how Sabo was completely smitten by Ace’s dance and chuckled to himself. It <em>would</em> be awfully funny if Sabo and Ace somehow ended up together.</p><p>“You know what?” Luffy suddenly spoke.</p><p>“We should invite Ace here too! I think you guys will be great friends!!!” Luffy exclaimed happily. Usopp sweat dropped, thinking about the possible chaos. Ace and Sabo were both very… Enthusiastic? Hot headed? Strong willed? They were both very similar but at the same time, they weren’t the best people to put together.</p><p>As curious as Sabo was to finally meet the man properly, Sabo knew it was a bad idea. He was about to protest when Koala walked out of the kitchen.</p><p>“Absolutely not.” She replied with a stern tone, crossing her arms.</p><p>Sabo wiped his sweat in relief while Luffy cocked his head in confusion, questioning why. Koala sighed and responded.</p><p>“The last time you and your friends were here, you nearly destroyed our front door. So, there is NO WAY I’m letting your brother into my house. You got that?”</p><p>Usopp gasped in horror while Luffy nodded sadly. Koala did have a point. But in Luffy’s defense, it was all Jaggy’s fault for starting the fight. Stupid Jaggy. He remained silent for a while before he suddenly raised his head and spoke.</p><p>“You guys should come over to our apartment for dinner then! Ace is reallyyyyy good at cooking! Plus, we can scare Torao with our bread!!!” Luffy suggested.</p><p>Usopp shook his head in denial, having experienced dinnertime over at their house before. It was extremely terrifying how Luffy and Ace could eat so much in such a little amount of time.</p><p>Koala laughed. She heard all of Sabo’s complaints about Ace and Law after the incident the other day. While Sabo insisted that he disliked them, Koala secretly suspected that Sabo wanted to get to know them more.</p><p>She actually hoped that Sabo would befriend them. It might not seem like it, but Sabo was rather lonely. He didn’t have many friends while growing up because his parents forbade him to interact with ‘commoners’ since he was a noble.</p><p>He was locked up in his own house till he went to high school. Even then, his parents made him attend a private school so that Sabo wouldn’t mix around with people they deemed ‘not good enough’. So, Sabo hadn’t really had any friends till he ran away from home and decided to attend college where he met Koala.</p><p>Although Sabo had told Koala that he didn’t need anybody else except for her, she knew it was a complete lie. She knew how much it hurt Sabo to see how others had their own group of friends or a loving family.</p><p>Realistically, Koala couldn’t be there for him all the time since she did have her own group of friends, though she spent most of her time with Sabo. He needed something more. He needed other people to rely on because she couldn’t possibly be with him all the time. More importantly, he needed someone to live for.</p><p>So, she decided that she would somehow help Sabo find his own happiness.</p><p>She had been stumped for a little while because she had no idea how she could get Sabo to talk to other people. Thankfully, Luffy entered his life and she could slowly see a glimmer of hope. All Sabo needed now was just a push.</p><p>“I’ll pass because I have things to do but you can take Sabo with you if he wants to go.” Koala smiled.</p><p>Sabo glanced towards Koala and pouted. He felt slightly uneasy as he had never actually been over to a friend’s house before.</p><p>“I…” His voice trailed.</p><p>“Please Saboooooooo. You would be the best brother in the world! Even better than Ace!” Luffy pleaded.</p><p>When Sabo was about to shake his head and say no, Luffy jumped off the couch and onto Sabo who was seated on the floor. He straddled Sabo and gave him the biggest puppy dog eyes.</p><p>Dammit, Luffy was too cute to resist.</p><p>“Fine.” Sabo groaned, finally giving in.</p><p>Luffy cheered and then snatched Usopp’s phone so that he could text Ace that they were going to have a guest for dinner and that he should ‘make more food’. Usopp could already tell it was going to chaotic.</p><p>Sabo started to panic slightly because he had no idea what to expect. Was he supposed to bring gifts? What was he supposed to wear? Should he bring some wine over? God, social interaction was so difficult.</p><p>Koala watched their reactions and smiled to herself.</p><p>Maybe inviting Luffy to their apartment hadn’t been such a bad idea after all.</p><p>-</p><p>It was late in the afternoon when Ace had received that text.</p><p>He had been in the middle of trying to ‘romance’ Law, with Sanji’s guidance of course. When he had seen the message, he had nearly dropped his phone in surprise. Who was his brother’s new friend? Or perhaps… girlfriend?</p><p>Ace texted back, asking for more detail about his friend but Luffy had said nothing other than ‘Be nice’. How dare Luffy imply that he wasn’t nice? Sure he might have been a little rough to Zoro considering how they had a fist fight when they first met but… He was generally a nice guy.</p><p>More importantly, how dare Luffy make more new friends! Ace felt that he himself was enough for Luffy but he just had to keep on making more friends. Or even worse, a girlfriend.</p><p>Law saw the message as well and he could tell what Ace was thinking. He knew Ace was extremely over-protective and clingy when it came to Luffy. But really, Luffy was eighteen. Surely, he had the right to make his own decisions when it came to making friends. So, Law slapped Ace on the head and called him an idiot.</p><p>Afterwards, Law decided that they should be heading back so that they can prepare for their guest, much to Ace’s protest. They agreed that they should continue their discussion on another day instead.</p><p>As they headed off, Law and Ace made a stop to the supermarket so that they could buy some ingredients for dinner. As Ace and Luffy were heavy eaters, they often had to buy enough food to feed a whole family. They didn’t know how much their guest would eat but they bought extra just in case.</p><p>When they got back to their apartment, Ace immediately began cooking. Law did his best to help him out but… he honestly was a terrible cook. So, he decided to read a book in the living room.</p><p>Ace normally didn’t wear a shirt while he was in the house but since there was a guest, he figured he should at least try to cover himself up. He tried looking around for a shirt but gave up when he couldn’t find one. Oh well.</p><p>He didn’t want his guest to start asking questions about his soulmate mark so, he bandaged his forearm to hide the stupid message. He attempted to brush his hair and look presentable- which was rather difficult considering how he was half naked.</p><p>Well, if his guest was going to scream and beat him up, he hoped that they would at least be blonde.</p><p>Law took a glance at Ace and raised an eyebrow.</p><p>“Did you even try to put on a shirt?” Law asked with an amused grin gracing his features.</p><p>Ace shrugged and lifted his hands in surrender. “I swear I tried to find one but all my shirts disappeared.”, he responded.</p><p>Then, the doorbell rang.</p><p>It was too late to find an actual shirt now. Ace nervously walked to the door and prayed that whoever it was, they wouldn’t kick him in the balls for being shirtless. Law was just excitedly waiting on the couch, hoping that the guest would punch Ace.</p><p>The door swung open and Luffy rushed in at the smell of the roast chicken.</p><p>Ace shot Luffy a glare for almost bumping into him before turning to face to front door so that he could see who the guest was.</p><p>Blonde hair, blue eyes and a scar.</p><p>He seemed awfully familiar.</p><p>Wait.</p><p>“YOU!!!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yes there will finally be some SaboAce in the next chapter!! KidLaw will reappear again soon too :D<br/>In the meantime, feel free to bug me on tumblr in case i take too long to update lol. Its: @asch-xv<br/>I mostly shitpost One Piece content though HAHA Anyways, leave a comment if you liked it :D</p><p>*Fujoshi: Girls that are fans of Boy Love</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. One Day</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Wow this is the fastest update I've ever done. I've been waiting to write this chapter ever since I began writing this story. I was also feeling kinda sad while writing so it might be quite an angsty chapter. Its a change of pace but it's kind of an important chapter to the story so I sincerely hope that you'll enjoy it. Without further ado, please enjoy!</p><p>P.s Sorry for any errors!! I'll edit as the week goes by because I've no beta reader haha :( </p><p>Fun fact: I blasted the opening One Day on repeat while writing this. It's kind of my inspiration for their story haha</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sabo wanted nothing but death.</p><p>He should’ve known that going to the D brothers’ apartment was a bad idea. The look on Ace’s face immediately made Sabo regret his decision to go over in the first place. He looked as if he was about to commit <em>murder</em>.</p><p>So much for making friends huh?</p><p>Sabo inwardly cringed when Ace had yelled in his face. He took it as a sign that he should probably leave before the man actually started to beat him up. So, he turned around and got ready to leave when he felt someone grab his arm.</p><p>He tried to shake his arm free from the man’s grip, but the man had a really strong hold on his wrist. Seeing how persistent the other man was, it made Sabo’s heart lurch. Deep down, he felt a little upset because while he certainly had gotten off the wrong foot with Ace and Law, he was looking forward to spending time to get to know them.</p><p>Sabo suppressed his disappointment and rearranged the expression on his face. “Look, Luffy I-“</p><p>“Where are you going? Aren’t you gonna have dinner with us?”</p><p>Sabo looked up and saw… freckles? He then realized that the arm that had grabbed his own belonged to the Ace. His deep grey eyes burned straight into Sabo’s icy blue ones which gave Sabo very mixed feelings.</p><p>Ace almost seemed <em>concerned</em> for some reason. Sabo sighed and tried his best to put on a smile.</p><p>“That is… If you’ll have me.”</p><p>To Ace, the scarred man seemed rather out of character. He wasn’t as sassy as he was the other day at the apartment. Had something happened? Or did he genuinely not like Ace? Had Ace fucked up somehow?</p><p>He didn’t exactly understand why Sabo was acting so… depressed but, it seemed like there was something deeper going on so he wasn’t going to be an asshole about it. He relaxed his grip on Sabo’s arm and patted his back instead.</p><p>“Look. I don’t know what’s gotten into you but if anything, I’m glad that it wasn’t some stranger because otherwise I’d have to beat them up.” Ace reassured.</p><p>Sabo chuckled in response, “But I’m a stranger too y’know. Or perhaps you’ve forgotten what happened the other day?”.</p><p>Ace snorted and rolled his eyes.  “Oh yeah? I thought you were Luffy’s brother?”</p><p>There was a moment of silence when they both stared at each other but then, they both burst out laughing. Ace then extended his hand to Sabo who gladly shook it and entered the apartment.</p><p>Law, who had been watching the whole scene unfold, mentally noted how Sabo and Ace had surprisingly good chemistry. He thought that Sabo would be difficult to get along with but, he had a feeling that somehow things would get even more chaotic now that Sabo had joined their little group.</p><p>Sabo awkwardly placed his bag on the floor and took the seat opposite Ace. He had no idea what friend gatherings were like so, he had decided to bring a bottle of sake as a gift to Ace for graciously making dinner.</p><p>He decided that it was probably best to bring out the sake after dinner as he really did not want to know what type of drunk Ace was. Or even worse, what type of drunk <em>Luffy</em> was.</p><p>When Sabo had taken his seat, Luffy had already set up the dinner table. Luffy was ready to start eating the meat but was stopped by Law, who slapped his hands away from the food. Sabo did his best to calm his anxiety by watching Luffy and Law bicker over meat, but god, Ace being shirtless was NOT helping at all.</p><p>He snuck a few glances at Ace’s body when he had entered the house. But with the warm kitchen light highlighting all the curves of his muscles, it made his skin radiate a soft glow. How could Sabo not stare?</p><p>The back muscles were especially distracting.</p><p>Sabo’s heart started to beat a lot faster than it already did. He was thankful that Ace didn’t wear an apron while being half naked, otherwise he might actually have a nose bleed and that would be REALLY embarrassing.</p><p>If Ace’s body looked good in a video, there was no doubt that it was much better in real life. When Ace turned around, Sabo choked on his water. Luffy, who sat beside him, patted his back worriedly and gave him tissues.</p><p>Law smirked knowingly. He noticed the small glances that Sabo took at Ace and he could roughly guess what was going on with him. Being the good friend that he was, he decided that he was going to be nice and help Ace and Sabo spice things up a little.</p><p>“Ace, you might wanna put on an apron. You don’t wanna be covered in barbeque sauce. Otherwise, Luffy might start licking you in your sleep.” Law suggested with a smug tone.</p><p>Luffy made an offended noise while Sabo’s head darted upwards to look at Law and glared at him. Law shrugged, pretending to have no idea what Sabo was hinting at. Sabo swore that Law knew what was up. That bastard.</p><p>On the other hand, Ace was completely oblivious to their little exchange. The thought of Luffy licking him in his sleep made him shudder so he hastily dropped whatever he was holding and went to find an apron.</p><p>“Fuck, you’re right. Alright, gimme a sec.”</p><p>He came back wearing a pastel blue apron with a small dragon print at the side. The apron was seemingly close to ripping as it was rather small on Ace because he had a very broad chest. It barely covered Ace’s pecs at all.</p><p>If Sabo were being honest with himself, he would very much love to bend the man over the kitchen table and fuck him till he couldn’t walk. Imagine how nice it would be to leave marks all over the man’s chest-</p><p>Sabo mentally slapped himself.</p><p>No.</p><p>He shouldn’t think that way about Ace. It was just so <em>wrong</em>.</p><p>Firstly, he was their guest and this was literally their first proper meeting. Secondly, he was Luffy’s brother and it would be weird to have sexual thoughts about Luffy’s other brother. And lastly…</p><p>He was not gay.</p><p>To be fair, he probably wasn’t straight either- not that he had any experience with anyone. But, he had always imagined his first love to be female. After all, that was what everyone told him while he was growing up. That someday, he would grow up and find himself a wife.</p><p>Though, Ace seemed like a pretty good wife.</p><p>He really needed to stop.</p><p>No, Ace needed to STOP being so goddamn attractive. How was Sabo going to live after seeing how amazingly sexy this man was? On the bright side, Ace was probably an asshole so it didn’t matter. Right?</p><p>Also, he had his soulmate to worry about. He should be falling in love with his soulmate and not Ace. So, things would turn out just right. He just hoped that his soulmate would be appear soon before he got too acquainted with Ace.</p><p>“Oi Blondie. Sabo? Hey, you okay?”</p><p>Sabo snapped back to reality and realized that Ace was waving his hand in front of his face. He blinked and saw how Law and Luffy were also staring at him in confusion. Oh God. How long had he been lost in thought?</p><p>“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine. Why?” Sabo mumbled, trying to focus his thoughts.</p><p>Ace raised an eyebrow and pointed to Sabo’s hand. “Uh. I don’t know. Maybe because you were pouring mayonnaise into your water?”</p><p>“I was wha- OH FUCK.”</p><p>Sabo quickly put away the mayonnaise and cleaned up the droplets of water that splattered on the table. What the hell was he thinking? How did he even get his hands on the mayonnaise bottle in the first place?</p><p>Law and Luffy snickered at Sabo’s flustered expression. Ace was just clueless as to why Sabo was behaving in such an odd manner. His face was red so perhaps he had a fever. Was he feeling sick?</p><p>Then, Ace placed his hand on Sabo’s forehead to check his temperature. This gesture took Sabo by surprise. He moved his chair backwards away from Ace and slapped the hand that was inching closer to him. But, Ace held down both his wrists with a single hand, so Sabo was trapped.</p><p>“W-What are you doing?” Sabo stuttered anxiously.</p><p>Ace was way too close to him and he desperately tried to dodge the hand that was trying to touch his face. Sabo did his best to wrestle his hands away from Ace but this caused him to move even closer.</p><p>“Hold still! I’m trying to check your temperature.” Ace grumbled in frustration.</p><p>“What for?”</p><p>“To see if you’ve got a fever duh. Your face is all red and shit.”</p><p>Sabo blinked a few times before realizing what Ace meant. That sentence had led to Sabo kicking Ace in the shin from shame and embarrassment. God, Ace was so stupid. Couldn’t he just put on a shirt and behave like a normal human being?</p><p>Ace winced in pain and Sabo almost felt guilty. Ace was about to ask what the kick was for when Luffy (thankfully) interrupted.</p><p>“Guysssssss. I’m hungryyyyy. Can we eat now?” He whined.</p><p>“Straw Hat-ya is right. Please spare me from anymore your flirting. Otherwise, I’m going to throw up before I even eat dinner.” Law chimed in.</p><p>Sabo nodded in agreement before shifting his chair back to its original position. Ace huffed in annoyance as he got up and went back to preparing the food. Finally, when he was done, both Luffy and Ace hungrily stuffed the meat into their mouths.</p><p>Meanwhile, Law was the only one behaving like a civilized person as he was using the cutlery instead of his hands. Sabo contemplated whether he should follow Law’s actions or if he should behave as he normally did.</p><p>He stared at the meat in front of him before deciding to fuck it all. He was tired of worrying how he should present himself in front of other people. It was better if he just acted like himself.</p><p>When he grabbed the chicken wing, Ace and Luffy both stared at him, waiting to see what he would do. Sabo shoved the entire chicken wing into his mouth and chomped on it. Ace and Luffy cheered while Law let out a deep sigh.</p><p>He was going to have to deal with another idiot.</p><p>-</p><p>After hastily eating his food, Law had sneaked off to his room.</p><p>As entertaining as dinner was, it was enough social interaction and craziness for one day. Plus, he knew the other three had something going on that he wasn’t a part of so, he decided to give them some space.</p><p>He hugged Bepo and rolled around his bed in boredom. He wasn’t exactly in the mood to read more medical books. Not knowing what to do, Law decided to send a text to Kid.</p><p>
  <em>‘Did you know that an average human swallows about 25 flies a year?’</em>
</p><p>Not even a minute later, the red haired man responded, much to Law’s surprise. He guessed that Kid must’ve been bored as well.</p><p>
  <em>‘Andddd you’re telling me because?’</em>
</p><p>Law smirked. Maybe his night wasn’t going to be that boring after all.</p><p>
  <em>‘Eustass-ya probably swallows 250 flies a year because he’s stupid.’</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘Fuck you. At least I’m above average.’ </em>
</p><p>Law scoffed in response. The man really had the confidence to call himself above average huh? Then, he decided to ask Kid if he wanted to video call as he said that <em>‘Eustass-ya should entertain me because I let him into my house’. </em></p><p>Though Kid was initially reluctant, he eventually decided to fuck it. It was much better than doing assignments anyways. Or maybe, the tattooed man could even help him with his homework.</p><p>Afterwards, they exchanged their skype ids and immediately started a call. Law drummed his fingers and took a sip of his coffee as he waited for the internet to connect. When the screen finally loaded, Kid’s face popped up on and Law had nearly spat his coffee.</p><p>The man wasn’t wearing a shirt.</p><p>He could finally understand what Sabo had felt when he saw Ace. However, Law didn’t think that he’d be affected by shirtless men, since he had been around Ace for such a long time. In addition, he had seen a fair share of shirtless men, being a doctor and all.</p><p>Kid however, was different.</p><p>The man already looked fantastic when he had worn that black top the first time they had met. The poor leather cloth had been stretched across his huge muscles, threatening to come apart at any second. So, Law had no doubt that Kid would look even better underneath those clothes.</p><p>What Law didn’t expect was for Kid to have scars on his body. As a future surgeon, he could appreciate bodily imperfections like moles or birthmarks. Scars however, were practically his <em>kink</em> and Kid had beautifully long scars that stretched down his neck to his chest.</p><p>As a bonus, Kid’s body was massive. He was a huge man but dear god, his muscles were incredibly toned and defined. On top of that, his unruly red hair and lipstick made him look even more inviting than he already was.</p><p>He was a goddamn masterpiece.</p><p>Law wasn’t sure how long he had spent gawking at Kid’s body but Kid didn’t seem to notice. Law had only snapped back to his senses when he had heard Kid calling out his name and waving his hand in front of the camera as he thought Law’s internet was slow.</p><p>“Oi Trafalgar. Your internet sucks.” Kid grumbled.</p><p>Law blinked and sucked in a sharp breath. He noticed how Kid’s adam’s apple bobbed as he spoke. Kid had a really lovely neck. The low timbre of his voice was causing Law’s imagination to run wild.</p><p>Yeah he really couldn’t do this.</p><p>Law cleared his throat in an attempt to level his voice and sound calm. “Eustass-ya… Would you mind putting a shirt on? Bepo thinks I’m cheating on him with you.” He spoke slowly.</p><p>Kid raised his (non-existent) eyebrows and growled. “Hah? What, you can’t the sight of a few scars?”</p><p>Law looked away sheepishly. He really didn’t want to expose himself but if he didn’t tell Kid the truth, he was just going to remain pissed all day. So, he sighed and tried his best to maintain a poker face expression before turning back to face the camera.</p><p>“On the contrary Eustass-ya, I think I might be enjoying the view a little too much. If you don’t put on a shirt soon, I think I might have a huge problem.” He deadpanned.</p><p>“What d’you mea- Oh.”</p><p>Understanding what Law had meant, Kid smirked in amusement. He pretended to consider putting on a shirt for a little while before deciding that he would rather fuck round with the doctor.</p><p>“I’m giving you problems huh, Trafalgar? But this is how I always dress at my apartment. So, that’s too bad.” Kid said in a sing song voice.</p><p>“Fuck you.”</p><p>Law desperately wanted to wipe that smug smile off Kid’s face. That bastard knew how attractive he was and yet, he wasn’t even trying to hide it. Kid simply grinned when he noticed Law’s annoyed expression.</p><p>“Nu uh. Language, Trafalgar. Y’know, you could always remove your shirt too and who knows? I might change my mind and put my shirt on.” Kid laughed mockingly.</p><p>“Unfortunately I’m not a barbarian like you, Eustass-ya. I prefer to keep my shirt on thank you.” Law shot back.</p><p>That was obviously a lie as Law never slept with his shirt on. Most of the time, he wouldn’t wear his shirt around the apartment like how Ace and Luffy wouldn’t unless they had a guest coming over. In his defence, Dressrosa was a very warm city so <em>of course</em> he’d be shirtless.</p><p>He’d be massively stupid if he decided to cover up his body while he was in the apartment since had a nice set of tattoos. Why would he purposely hide them? Ace and Luffy were shirtless all the time. Plus, Law liked to think that he was pretty nice set of abs as well.</p><p>With Kid however, he felt inferior.</p><p>“Ah, I get it. You’re afraid. It’s fine then, don’t show me.”</p><p>Law knew it was a trap. He knew it was simple reverse psychology meant to challenge him and yet, he so desperately wanted to try and prove Kid wrong. However, his body was absolutely shit in comparison to Kid’s. It felt like a stupid idea to try and challenge him. Not to mention, his body had many ugly imperfections that only Ace and Luffy knew of.</p><p>Still, he wanted to show Kid that he wasn’t afraid.</p><p>“I’m not afraid. I just…” Law spoke hesitantly and dipped his head in fear.</p><p>“Then show me ya coward.”</p><p>Law’s head shot up and to came face to face with Kid. He didn’t have that smug look or confidence like he did before. Instead, he seemed almost encouraging with the light-hearted tone he used. It made Law feel slightly less anxious.</p><p>He sighed softly and gave in. “Fine. But you aren’t gonna like what you see.”</p><p>“You don’t get to decide what I like or don’t.” Kid responded, shaking his head.</p><p>Law shakily gripped the bottom of his shirt and lifted it over his head, tossing it on his bed. He looked away from the screen as he didn’t dare to look at Kid’s reaction. After all, who could stand the sight of his battered body?</p><p>Law liked scars because they told a story. He admired the strength that other people had. However, while he liked the look of scars, he didn’t like them on himself because his own scars were too painful to look at. It served as a physical reminder of how weak he was.</p><p>His chest and back were entirely covered in scars. Though the tattoos covered up most of them, there were still a few larger ones that stuck out. Those were the scars he would claw at whenever that man haunted his dreams at night.</p><p>He despised them.</p><p>“I think ya look pretty fine yourself, Trafalgar.”</p><p>“Shut up.” Law muttered.</p><p>Law was sure that Kid was just trying to be respectful and nice about it. He knew how ugly his body really was. He felt disgusted at the sight of his own skin. The only saving grace were his tattoos. They were the thing that made him feel slightly less shit about having this many marks on his body.</p><p>“No, look at me. Y’think a few scars ‘ll scare me off? I ain’t some weak bitch, Trafalgar. I have a fuckton of scars myself so what’s the difference? If anything, they make you look stronger.” Kid spoke in a serious tone.</p><p>Law pursed his lips into a tight line. What did Kid know? He hadn’t experienced what Law had. He didn’t have a man named Donquixote Doflamingo fuck up his entire life. Of course, Kid might’ve had some sort of tragic backstory as well but what did he know?</p><p>“Eustass-ya, have you ever considered how I feel? They are shameful. Every time I look at them, it just triggers some panic attack and it reminds me of how I’m not good enough.” Law replied in annoyance.</p><p>Obviously, Kid could tell that Law had some fucked up past. He could see that the scars were caused by different things. There were burn scars, whip scars, every sort of scar. With the way the littered all over this body, there was no way it could’ve been caused by an accident.</p><p>However, this knowledge didn’t change anything for Kid. He didn’t really care how Law looked because he still thought that Law was a pretty interesting guy. Instead, it just made Kid respect Law even more.</p><p>The point is, Law shouldn’t have to feel ashamed of his scars. Much less, be afraid of his own scars.</p><p>“Y’think I don’t have my own issues as well? My entire arm nearly got cut off because I wasn’t strong enough to protect my best friend from a fucking murderer. Whenever I look at my own arm, I just remember how fucking weak I am. Y’think I don’t know what it’s like?” Kid snapped.<br/><br/>“But…“<br/><br/>“Shut up for a sec and hear me out aite? I don’t know what type of shit you went through, but fuck whoever gave you those scars cuz they don’t define who you are. I get that it must’ve been tough, but that’s what friends are for aight? You’ll get through this.”</p><p>Law listened intently. He remained silent to let Kid’s words sink in for a moment. It was true that his friends were there whenever he needed to talk to someone after a panic attack. However, most of the time, his friends wouldn’t know what to say whenever he had an episode.</p><p>For some reason though, Kid’s words had been oddly comforting.</p><p>“For an idiot, you’re pretty good at pep talks.” Law mused.</p><p>Kid snorted. Did Law really think he was just some dumbass? Well, many people did assume he was an airhead. He knew he didn’t look very bright for someone who went to college, but he was actually rather smart. In fact, he had a goddamn scholarship so, ha.</p><p>“Who said I was an idiot? For fuck’s sake I’m majoring in mechanics. Idiots don’t go to college.”</p><p>Law blinked in surprise. So, Kid was from Corrida College. He had thought that Kid was just some delinquent hanging around the area. But, he guessed that he should’ve known better. If anything, Kid going to Corrida just gave Law opportunities to see him which was great.</p><p>“Oh? I guess I’ll be seeing you around in school then, Eustass-ya.”</p><p>“Don’t you dare look for me in school.” The redhead warned.</p><p>Kid couldn’t imagine meeting the tattooed man in school. He knew Law would start teasing him and make suggestive comments like the <em>simp</em> he was. Also, he wasn’t exactly ready for his friends to find out about Law just yet.</p><p>“Why? You scared someone will think we’re dating?” Law teased.</p><p>In return, Kid scoffed and smirked in response. “Nah. I just don’t wanna been seen with a fucking weirdo.” He answered.</p><p>Law made an offended noise. Sure, he might be some loner that enjoys watching people suffer. But that wasn’t weird. It just meant that he was a tad bit sadistic and perhaps a borderline sociopath.</p><p>Okay that was a joke. Still, he <em>wasn’t </em>weird.</p><p>“You’re the one with makeup and no eyebrows. How am I weird? If anything, Eustass-ya is the weirdo.” Law retorted.</p><p>“What the fuck did ya just call me?”</p><p>They continued bickering for a little while longer and Law had to admit, he really enjoyed talking to Kid. Despite their contrasting personalities, he realized how easy it was to talk to the man. Though, they did have lots of pointless fights. It might have to do with the fact that Law simply enjoyed annoying Kid.</p><p>However, they were soon interrupted by his lovely roommate who had managed to convince him to take care of a drunk Luffy by agreeing to be his test subject for an experiment. As a result, a not-so-happy Kid began to scream at Luffy who was jumpy from the alcohol.</p><p>It seemed like Law wasn’t going to have any sleep that night.</p><p>-</p><p>It was a shame that Law had decided to coop himself up in his own room. But, it meant that Sabo could finally bring out the sake that he had brought for them. He handed the sake to Ace and who gladly accepted it.</p><p>“Did you know that if you share a bottle of sake with a group of friends, you’ll become sworn siblings. So, once we drink the sake, we’ll become sworn brothers.” Ace grinned, pouring the sake into the glasses.</p><p>“Oooh! Sabo, you’ll be one of us!” Luffy chirped excitedly.</p><p>Sabo hadn’t expected that he would be a part of their little pact since he was technically an outsider. However, a small part of him ached to be closer to Ace and Luffy. He wasn’t sure why, but he could feel something like a bond between them.</p><p>“Are you guys sure about that? You both barely know me, and I don’t know anything about you.” Sabo challenged.</p><p>Their faith in him was… amusing to say the least. How on earth were they able to trust him so easily? It all seemed too easy. Would he be able to trust them as much as they trusted him?</p><p> “What’s the rush? We have all the time in the world.” Ace replied in a nonchalant tone.</p><p>Sabo snorted. He did appreciate how Ace and Luffy tried to include him but he couldn’t help but feel like he was a third wheel. After all, Ace and Luffy had known each other for a long time. Calling Luffy his ‘brother’ was really just a joke to rile Ace up. He hadn’t expected them to take him seriously.</p><p> “True but, you really think we’ll still be friends even after we graduate?” Sabo shot back, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>Ace shrugged in response. “I’m not sure about that but… I don’t think you’d leave Luffy without any sort of explanation at least.” He answered honestly.</p><p>Sabo couldn’t think of an answer to Ace’s comment.</p><p>It was true that he wasn’t the type of guy to just leave his friends without an explanation. He did treasure all the friendships he had and he felt that he was a loyal friend. But, for some reason, Ace’s confidence that in him, that Sabo would stay by their side, made his heart clench.</p><p>“Yeah! Sabo will stay by us forever!” Luffy added, with a wide grin gracing his features.</p><p>Sabo dipped his head in an attempt to hide his smile. He wondered if this was what it was like to have a family. Knowing that Luffy and Ace had his back was so heart-warming, Sabo could almost cry tears of joy.</p><p>He drank the sake in his cup in one full gulp. Luffy and Ace then followed suit afterwards. Sabo poured more sake into their glasses and they continued drinking and teasing each other till Luffy was drunk.</p><p>Ace washed their glasses and cleaned up the table. Then, he passed Sabo and tapped his shoulder, getting his attention.</p><p>“Stick around after dinner, let’s have a little chat.” Ace mumbled.</p><p>Sabo nodded in response. He was lots of time since he kind of finished his assignments for the week. Though, he wondered what Ace wanted to talk about. Was Ace was going to give him ‘the talk’? Did Ace think he was dating Luffy?</p><p>Thinking about it, his relationship with Luffy did seem a little suspicious since they had only met for a week. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Ace wanted to interrogate about his relationship with Luffy.</p><p>Millions of possibilities flooded Sabo’s mind as he tried to think of what Ace could possibly want to talk about. He sat on the couch, tapping his foot anxiously while waiting for Ace to return.</p><p>Once Ace had successfully convinced Law to entertain drunk Luffy for a little while, he closed the room door, Ace turned backed to Sabo.</p><p>“Sorry about that. I figured that I’d spare Luffy from our little conversation. He isn’t someone who can sit still for a long time.” Ace explained, scratching his head and smiling sheepishly.</p><p>Sabo laughed. “Trust me, I’m aware.”</p><p>They decided to head over to the balcony to chat instead. It was a little more private there as they wouldn’t be disturbed by the noises from Law’s room.</p><p>There they sat, under the moonlight and beneath the stars. The warm glow of the candle lit torch illuminating the balcony. If anything, the atmosphere felt more solemn rather than romantic. Ace popped open another bottle of wine and poured a glass for Sabo, which he gladly accepted.</p><p>“So, what did you wanna talk about? Is this part where you tell me that you hate me and that I should stay away from Luffy?” Sabo teased, taking a sip of the wine.</p><p>Ace scoffed and took a huge gulp of the wine. As if he’d ask Sabo to stay away seeing how much Luffy liked him. However, he couldn’t deny that he himself was interested in the blonde man as well.</p><p>“Tell me about yourself.”</p><p>In response, Sabo rolled his eyes and poked Ace’s side. “You can’t ask me to do that and not tell me about yourself.” He argued.</p><p>The freckled man laughed and raised his hands in surrender. “Fair point. Let’s play 20 questions then. Question 1, where are you from?”</p><p>Sabo took another sip of his wine and answered, “I grew up in East Blue. I’m… from the Goa Kingdom.”</p><p>Ace cocked his head in surprise. Sabo grew up in East Blue as well? The Goa Kingdom wasn’t very far from where he had lived as a child. He had even visited the kingdom to steal food or money on a daily basis.</p><p>“The kingdom? The one surrounded by walls? Isn’t everyone in the kingdom rich? Why would you be here in Dressrosa then?” Ace asked out of curiosity.</p><p>“Stop cheating. It’s one question per round so, it’s my turn. How did you and Luffy meet?” Sabo tutted his tongue and chided him playfully.</p><p>Ace kept silent for a moment. At first glance, most people assumed that Ace and Luffy were related by blood and mistook them for actual siblings. However, Sabo was more perceptive than most. He noticed the little differences in their accents and their features. Also, how they had different last names despite the similar D. as their middle name.</p><p>“I was ten and he was seven when we met at Gray Terminal. I was… under foster care by someone named Dadan. One day Garp, Luffy’s grandfather, brought him to Dadan and told her to take care of Luffy. It was funny because I actually hated him in the beginning but… stuff happened, and we became brothers from that day onwards.”</p><p>“Gray Terminal? The one beside the Goa Kingdom?” Sabo inquired.</p><p>“Yeah. It was fun, though it was a shithole. I even had a best friend called blondie. We used to hangout lots even before Luffy joined. I can’t remember much but one day he suddenly disappeared which really sucks. Anyways, I’ll count that as three questions. My turn now. What was your family like?”</p><p>Sabo didn’t know why, but his head had begun to hurt after listening to Ace. His memories were all blurry because of that one incident that happened when he was younger. Gray Terminal… Why couldn’t he remember? Something about that place seemed very familiar to him but he just couldn’t remember.</p><p>Ace glanced worriedly at him. He noticed the pained expression on Sabo’s face and started to feel slightly guilty. The topic on family has always been a very touchy subject so, Ace didn’t want to overstep his boundaries if Sabo didn’t want to share.</p><p>“Hey, are you okay? Look, if it’s too much, you don’t have to talk about it.” Ace spoke in a gentle tone.</p><p>“No I- I’m fine. I just…”</p><p>“What’s wrong?”</p><p>The blonde haired man sighed. He hadn’t meant to make Ace feel guilty over something that wasn’t even his fault. Things were just… complicated for Sabo. He was sure that Ace hadn’t meant any harm.</p><p>“I don’t remember much about my past. I lost my memories when I was ten. My earliest memory was when I woke up in a hospital and my parents said I got into an accident.”</p><p>“You don’t have to force yourself to talk about it if you don’t want to.” Ace insisted.</p><p>The last thing Ace wanted was for Sabo to relieve some sort of painful memory or experience. He had his own fair share of problems too and he could definitely empathize with how Sabo felt.</p><p>“No, it’s alright. My parents are… nobles in the Goa Kingdom. They expected a lot from me as a child. After that day in the hospital, all I remember was that I was never allowed to leave the house. My entire life was just within that place. I hated it there.” Sabo slowly continued.</p><p>“So you’re the son of a noble huh? What about school?” Ace mused.</p><p>Sabo grimaced when Ace called him the son of a noble. He hadn’t wanted anyone to find out who he really was because he didn’t want to be associated with his family. More importantly, he didn’t want people to assume he’d be stuck up just because he was rich. He was <em>different</em>.</p><p>“I had private lessons so I never had any friends. I was a noble but… I couldn’t stand it there. The way they treated other people was disgusting. After high school, I… decided to run away. Since I was 18, no one could stop me. Somewhere along the lines, I met Dragon-san who helped me out with whatever. So, here I am.” Sabo explained.</p><p>Ace nodded thoughtfully. In some ways, he could relate to Sabo’s past. After all, he had lived a rather difficult life before college happened. He had to go through a ton of shit to get to where he was today. Yet, his life could fall apart again at any moment.</p><p>“It’s alright. Life can be shit but I’m glad you pulled through.” Ace grinned, patting Sabo’s back comfortingly.</p><p>Sabo chuckled and playfully slapped his hand away. He appreciated how Ace had actually listened and not make fun of him like Sabo thought he would. Then, he turned to Ace with a serious expression and asked, “What about you? I’ve told you my entire life story so it’s your turn now.”</p><p>“My parents died when I was only a year old so, I never really knew them. I got dumped with Dadan since then but I was kind of a brat because everyone just wanted to kill me. I’m guessing my dad must’ve been some sort of shithead because everyone called me the ‘devil’s child’ while growing up.” Ace laughed darkly.</p><p>Although Ace tried to brush it off, Sabo could see the pain hidden in Ace’s eyes. His heart physically hurt when Ace had mentioned how everyone wanted to kill him. He couldn’t even imagine how it must’ve been like for Ace to deal with such horrible people when he was merely a child.</p><p>He felt anger building up inside him at the thought of how Ace had to fight alone. It was just so <em>unfair</em> because he did nothing to deserve any of this. Sabo clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.</p><p>“Everyone tried to kill you even though you were a child? Are they even human?” Sabo growled.</p><p>Ace smiled sadly. He could sense Sabo’s anger so he placed his hands over Sabo’s clenched fists and opened them up. There was no point in being angry at something that happened a long time ago. Anger couldn’t change the past.</p><p> “Yeah, I had it real bad. My first real friend was blondie. He accepted me for who I was and god, I miss him. Luffy came along later but I thought he was just some annoying kid but he eventually grew on me because he really wanted to be my friend.” Ace responded.</p><p>Sabo furrowed his eyebrows. Having had a miserable childhood himself, a wave of overprotectiveness overcame him. Instead, he clasped Ace’s hands with his own and intertwined their fingers together. He shifted closer to Ace and looked him in the eye.</p><p>“Still. That is no way to treat a child. I’d have beat up any person that tried to lay their hands on you.” Sabo said seriously.</p><p>Ace snorted in response and began to smile genuinely. “Funny, because that was exactly what blondie did.” He commented.</p><p>Sabo’s face lit up and grinned when he saw Ace’s smile. He loved the way Ace’s lips had curved upwards and the little wrinkles that formed around his eyes. His smile was just so radiant, it made Sabo feel warm inside.</p><p>“Yeah? It sounds like he really cared for you.”</p><p>“He did.”</p><p>The air was silent for a little while as both their imaginations wandered, thinking what it’d be like if they had been friends when they were younger. Surely, they would’ve been great friends.</p><p>Ace could almost imagine the blonde kid being Sabo. Something about the way Sabo laughed and smiled was oddly familiar. It reminded him of the rare happy times in his childhood.</p><p>Sabo, on the other hand, tried to imagine a childhood with both Ace and Luffy. He could picture them in Gray Terminal, stealing from thieves, building treehouses together. It all felt so real, Sabo desperately wished he could turn back time to find out what happened before he woke up in that hospital.</p><p>If only.</p><p>He shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts. “So, what happened after?” Sabo asked, going back to the topic.</p><p>Ace nodded and gulped down the entire glass of wine before pouring more into his own glass and refilling Sabo’s. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and cleared his throat.</p><p>“I had to grow up quickly because we wanted to move out. Luffy and I began living on our own ever since I started high school. Dadan was more than happy that I was finally leaving but Luffy… He wanted to come with me so, I brought him along. I worked for a little but thankfully Whitebeard came along.” He answered.</p><p>Sabo’s eyes widened in shock. Had he heard Ace correctly? “Whitebeard? You don’t mean Edward Newgate, the Mayor right?” He inquired.</p><p>Ace smirked at Sabo’s reaction. He hadn’t told many people (besides his clique) about his unusual circumstances with Whitebeard. When he had first told his clique, they thought he was kidding till they witnessed the man himself visiting Ace.</p><p>“Yeah that’s the one. I had some really crappy job at a café and one day he just came in and I had to serve him. Might’ve accidentally spilled some coffee and had a fight with him. But, he’s a really great man. He ‘adopted’ me and provided Luffy and I with everything we needed to survive.” Ace laughed.</p><p>Sabo wondered how Ace could be so nonchalant about this. He had seen Whitebeard in person before and the man was extremely huge and terrifying to say the least. He couldn’t imagine Ace spilling coffee on the man without getting beat up by his bodyguards. It was amazing how Ace even <em>dared</em> to fight that giant.</p><p>“Seriously? How did you not get arrested? So like, you’re his son now?” Sabo pressed on.</p><p>“Is this your twentieth question mister Sabo?” Ace said in a teasing tone, poking Sabo’s ribs as payback for what he did earlier.</p><p>“Oh come on. I thought we were way past that already.” Sabo huffed, slapping away Ace’s hand.</p><p>Ace chuckled and gently poked Sabo’s cheeks, much to his silent protests. He mentally noted how adorable Sabo looked when he was frustrated. He should try to annoy Sabo more often.</p><p>“I’m just kidding. Well, his bodyguards were going to shoot me but for some reason, Whitebeard recognized me and so we talked. Apparently, he knew my dad or something so, we’re cool. He’s been… more a father to me than anyone else in my life. He calls me his son too, though I don’t get to see him often.”</p><p>Sabo listened and nodded understandingly. He was happy that Ace had someone else to rely on. It was difficult as it is to survive on your own but, Ace had to raise Luffy as well. He admired Ace’s strong will for the amount of hardships he had to go through. Whereas, Sabo felt like he had been weak in comparison as he was unable to rebel against his parents for a long time.</p><p>“You know, you aren’t such a bad guy. In fact, I think you’re really amazing for dealing with all the shit that life throws at you. I thought you were just an aggressive idiot before but… You aren’t that bad after all.” Sabo said with a grin.</p><p>Ace playfully punched Sabo’s arm at the insult. Though, Sabo was certainly different from other people he had met- Not that he had many friends to begin with anyways. But, he supposed he could get along with the man.</p><p>“Was that a nice way of saying how you thought I was a total dick at first? But it’s alright cuz I thought that you were some pervert tryna seduce Luffy or something at first. I think you’re pretty cool too.” Ace smirked in return.</p><p>Sabo returned the punch when Ace had called him a pervert. Eventually, it turned into a mini cat fight as they both began to punch each other playfully. It soon morphed into a tickle battle with Sabo in tears on the floor of the balcony.</p><p>He wiped the tears off his eyes and tried to catch his breath from giggling too hard. “Yeah? So what, we’re gonna be best friends now?” Sabo asked jokingly.</p><p>“I’m pretty sure we’re sworn brothers.” Ace countered while attempting to tickle Sabo once more. In which, Sabo rolled his eyes and pushed him away.</p><p>“God, you’re so annoying.”</p><p>“You’re the one to speak.”</p><p>They both stared at each other before bursting into laughter. It was the perfect way to end a deep conversation and the best beginning to a newfound friendship. Afterwards, they spent the rest of the night drinking before Sabo eventually decided it was late and he should return home.</p><p>Perhaps it was because they had a little too much to drink, or maybe it was because they both saw something in each other. Whatever it was, Sabo was glad that he met Ace.</p><p>Maybe things would be okay for now.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope that was satisfying enough for a first meeting. I know this chapter isn't as humorous as the previous few but I felt like it was important to establish certain things about Ace and Sabo's characters. Though, I admit, I still don't know everything about Ace and Sabo's characters. I'm learning more about them as I write and explore the psychology of their characters. Same goes for both Kid and Law. But anyways, this chapter was about 7k words and god I wrote this in 3 days please end me.<br/>The next update might be slightly slower because like I mentioned, I'm rather busy with school work. College really sucks man.<br/>Feel free to bug me on tumblr @asch-xv !! Also, leave a comment if you enjoyed it! It fuels my motivation to write HAHA</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Rewrite the stars</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>First off, I'm so so sorry it took me so long to update. I was really busy with school and life in general :( But here it is! I'll just add more notes at the end of the chapter. For now, please enjoy!</p><p>As usual, sorry for any errors!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He remembered feeling cold.</p><p>Streaks of lighting flashed across the dark grey skies and thunder rumbled in the distance. It wasn’t long before large cold droplets began to fall from the sky. Seeking shelter, a young blonde haired boy sat alone in a cave, waiting for the rain to pass.</p><p>It was peaceful. The only sounds he could hear were the pitter patter of the rain and the harsh winds that blew. The cold air was unforgiving for a boy who was barely ten years old. Though his fingers were practically frozen and he was on the verge of passing out, it was still better than that dull place he called ‘home’.</p><p>Minutes turned to hours as the boy began to feel his life fading away. He knew his body would soon succumb to the low temperature but at least he had managed to escape. He was away from the world of adults and expectations. He was <em>free.</em></p><p>It was the only thing Sabo had ever wanted.</p><p>Eventually, Sabo closed his eyes and let sleep take over him as no longer had the energy to stay awake. If he was going to die, he hoped that he’d at least be reincarnated into a better family this time. Closing his eyes, he fell into a deep slumber.</p><p>He wasn’t sure how long he had passed out but, for some reason he hadn’t died like he thought he would. The footsteps he heard caused Sabo to stir awake. He sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to focus his vision.</p><p>“Sorry. Did I wake you up?” A voice spoke.</p><p>That had caused Sabo to jump. He hadn’t expected anybody else to be in the cave. He then noticed how his wounds had been cleaned and how he was in a new set of dry clothes. Whoever it was, they had been nice enough to cover Sabo with a blanket as well.</p><p>Still, it could all be a trap. </p><p>Had his parents finally found him? Were they hiding somewhere waiting to take him home? He squinted his eyes, trying to adjust to the dim light, to see if there was anyone around. Then, he saw a figure.</p><p>Seeing how Sabo was awake, the shadowy figure slowly walked closer towards him. Sabo immediately backed away till his back hit against the cold walls of the cave. The figure then stopped in front of Sabo, trapping him.</p><p>Sabo closed his eyes shut and <em>screamed</em>.</p><p>“W-Who are you? What do you want from me? If you’re here to take me back, I’m not going!”</p><p>“Sheesh. Calm down. I just saved your life dude. You were about to die from the cold and I saved you.” The voice had responded.</p><p>A black haired boy with freckles walked into the light, raising his hands in surrender in an attempt to get Sabo to calm down. He seemed to be around the same age as he was. His eyebrows were furrowed, and he had a scowl on his face. Sabo guessed that the cave must’ve been a part of the boy’s territory.</p><p>Sabo heaved a sigh of relief. From the way the boy dressed, Sabo highly doubted that he was hired by his family or anything. Though, the boy did seem rather suspicious to simply be living in a cave.</p><p>“Thanks… I guess…” Sabo mumbled, looking away sheepishly.</p><p>The other boy scoffed in response. Seeing that Sabo was feeling better, the boy returned to the inner parts of the caves. Sabo wasn’t afraid of being alone but, he was curious to see what the other boy was up to. So, he tailed the boy closely.</p><p>The deeper they walked into the cave, the colder it got. Sabo pulled the blanket he held closer to himself to warm himself up. However, the cold didn’t seem to affect the other boy even the slightest. Soon, the boy finally stopped in his tracks.</p><p>“What are you doing?” Sabo inquired as the other boy squatted on the floor and laid out the sticks and stones that he had gathered.</p><p>“Starting a fire duh. I’m not sure ‘bout you but I don’t wanna freeze.” He responded.</p><p>As Sabo was never allowed to leave the house, he had never seen a campfire before. Much less, learn to start a fire. He had even begged his parents to let him out into the city for just one day but they forbade him to do so. So, he was fascinated by the boy’s skills.</p><p>“You know how to start a fire?” Sabo wondered aloud.</p><p>“Well yeah. I’m not stupid.” The boy grumbled.</p><p>Sabo frowned. Why was he so grumpy? It was just an innocent question. Sabo felt like he was going to have a hard time dealing with the other.</p><p>“Woah chill. I’m just asking.”</p><p>There was a moment of awkward silence afterwards. Sabo didn’t dare to speak in case he annoyed the other boy but, the other boy seemed to look rather guilty. Even so, Sabo quietly sat in the corner, staring at the boy while he made a campfire.  </p><p>“So, you got a name?” The boy asked eventually, trying to lighten the mood.</p><p>Sabo took a second to contemplate whether or not it was a good idea to tell other people his name. He was afraid that by telling others, it would somehow lead his parents to him somehow. He couldn’t afford to let that happen especially seeing how long it took for him to escape in the first place.</p><p>“I… I can’t tell you.” Sabo mumbled.</p><p>“Why not?”</p><p>“I kinda ran away from home so I don’t want anybody finding out where I am.” Sabo explained meekly.</p><p>The boy chuckled softly. He could definitely understand what the other was going through since he had run away from Dadan too. “Family problems huh? Yeah, I feel you. So, what am I supposed to call you then? Blondie?”</p><p>Sabo snorted. Well, it could be worse he supposed.</p><p>“…Yeah that could work. So, what’s your name?” Sabo inquired.</p><p>Then, Sabo woke up in cold sweat.</p><p>Adrenaline pumped throughout his entire body while he gasped for air. His heart was rapidly beating from shock while his mind was filled with questions. What on earth was that dream? He could have sworn that the dream had been real.</p><p>The low crackle of thunder distracted his train of thought. Sabo peered out his window only to see how black clouds were sprawled across the midnight sky, rain threatening to fall at any second.</p><p>Sabo sighed in dismay. Thunderstorms had always made him feel slightly uneasy. It wasn’t that he disliked them but, they always made feel nostalgic which was odd since he had no memories of his childhood.</p><p>His heart lurched in sorrow.</p><p>While Sabo desperately wanted to find out what happened before he woke up in the hospital, there wasn’t anybody he could ask. He knew his parents wouldn’t tell him the truth and all his servants weren’t going to spill any details either. So, the only way he could find out was if he recalled it on his own.</p><p>Though he had been trying for years, he had absolutely no luck.</p><p>However, that didn’t mean he had given up hope. Sabo believed that someday, he would be able to piece everything back together. He frowned and glanced down at his arm. It was then he realized that his soulmate mark had changed once more. This time, it finally given him some sort of clue.</p><p>‘<em>Blondes are so hot</em>.’</p><p>Sabo chuckled. It was somewhat reassuring to find out that his soulmate might actually like him after all. Still, there were just too many people in the world that liked blondes. How on earth was he going to find his soulmate?</p><p>Life was simply too complicated for Sabo. He groaned and ruffled his hair in frustration. There were simply too many things for him to worry about. His past, his parents finding him and now, he had to find his soulmate?</p><p>All he wanted was to just… Be <em>free</em>.</p><p>His mind continued to torture him throughout the entire night with endless worries. All Sabo could do was roll around in bed, hoping that his brain would eventually shut up. But of course, his thoughts decided to give him more anxiety instead.</p><p>He grabbed his phone from his nightstand and checked the time. It was only 6am, which meant that he should probably try to fall asleep so he could be awake in Dragon’s lecture.</p><p>Sabo subconsciously tapped on his Instagram app and scrolled to Ace’s profile.</p><p>It had been a few days since he visited Ace’s house and for some reason. Sabo was intrigued by Ace. He had spent his free time watching Ace’s Youtube videos or stalking his social media. Otherwise, his mind would replay the events that happened at Ace’s apartment the other day.</p><p>The funny thing was, Sabo had Ace’s number, but he hesitated to text him. What if that day had been a one time thing and Ace was really an asshole all along? Sabo highly doubted that but it was still a possibility.</p><p>Instead, whenever he invited Luffy to his apartment, he would randomly ask about Ace. Being the naïve boy that he is, Luffy obviously didn’t find it suspicious that all Sabo talked about was Ace. In fact, Luffy enjoyed talking about Ace as well, so he was more than happy to tell Sabo about all his stories of Ace.</p><p>God, Sabo really needed to get help.</p><p>Another thing that had been happening recently was that Sabo had been having very bizarre dreams. Dreams about cold rainy days, building treehouses but mostly about Ace. It wasn’t exactly a surprise that he had been dreaming about Ace- though some of his dreams had been embarrassingly sexual- since it was all he thought about during the day.</p><p>The dream he just had however, something about it had made his heart ache and he didn’t understand why. A wave of nostalgia overcame him as he entertained the idea of him being stuck in a cave with someone else.</p><p>Then, Sabo recalled how other person in the dream had called him ‘Blondie’ and it dawned on him. He had probably been influenced by Ace’s story about his childhood. Sabo shook his head and laughed.</p><p>Was he so obsessed with the other man that he actually dreamt that he was ‘Blondie’? It was completely ridiculous considering how he had never met Ace in his entire life. Even if he did, Ace would have said something. So, it couldn’t be real, right?</p><p>Sabo wiped the tears from his eyes. That had been a good laugh but, he really needed to stop being such a creep around Ace. He felt like he was betraying his soulmate by spending so much time thinking about someone else.</p><p>Sabo tried to picture himself 10 years into the future, married with his lovely wife and possibly two kids. He would live near Koala and hang out with her every weekend. Would he still be friends with Luffy and Ace?</p><p>Luffy would be… Sabo had no idea. Probably a pirate king or something he supposed. He couldn’t really picture Luffy being married either. Perhaps Luffy would end up with Law? They did have good chemistry after all. But Law was just too grumpy for him,</p><p>Ace on the other hand, Sabo thought that Ace would look pretty good as a firefighter. The thought of Ace marrying some girl and having kids made Sabo frown. He wouldn’t be surprised if Ace already had a girlfriend considering how good looking he was.</p><p>Even worse, maybe Ace already had a soulmate too.</p><p>He imagined himself with his wife, having dinner with Luffy and Ace’s family. Large smiles were present on everybody’s faces as they had a feast together. Somehow, that imagery made Sabo want to throw up.</p><p>Was it what he really wanted?</p><p>At this rate, he was sure that he was starting to develop a <em>tiny</em> crush on the freckled man. It was so, so wrong but he loved the way Ace had a warm aura around him. It made Sabo feel a sense of comfort. It made him feel safe.</p><p>Sabo knew he would get over his crush eventually. Ace probably already had someone else in his life. It was all a goddamn mistake.</p><p>That night, Sabo felt cold.</p><p>-</p><p>Trafalgar Law was a very odd man.</p><p>He gave Kid many different signals. Some days it felt like the tattooed man hated his guts seeing how the man would insult him from time to time whether it was about him being a dumbass or just some other petty insult. On other days, he would be affectionate or flirty and try to get Kid’s attention.</p><p>Frankly, it was driving Kid nuts.</p><p>He couldn’t actually tell if Law genuinely liked him as a friend or not. While Kid wasn’t too keen on befriending the man in the first place, Law admittedly begun to grow on Kid. He was quirky in his own way and that had really intrigued Kid.</p><p>Law was very different from his best friend Killer- and all his other friends for that matter. While Killer was much calmer and gentle, Law could go from a tired innocent nerd to some sort of chaotic mess within less than a minute. Nonetheless, he still regarded Law as a friend. Or rather, an ally that he could trust.</p><p>One day however, everything had been ruined. Why? Because Law had decided to look for Kid in school despite explicitly telling him not to. Kid should have guessed that Law would try something like this.</p><p>It happened while Kid was on the way to his next class. Kid had been with Apoo and Urouge, just minding their own business. That was when Law had so conveniently decided to show up.</p><p>The reason why he hadn’t wanted Law to meet his ‘friends’ was because they didn’t know that he was… Not straight. That and because he had an image to keep up since he was supposedly ‘famous’ in school. He had to ‘act’ like some sort of snobbish top student just because he had a scholarship.</p><p>It was rather complicated.</p><p>He had a certain reputation in school along with Apoo and Urouge. They were the college equivalent of the ‘popular clique’. As a result, they had many fangirls who would try to get in their pants. While Apoo and Urouge loved to bask in their attention, Kid absolutely hated it.</p><p>Kid wasn’t the type of guy to go around making friends with others. He was cold and aloof to those who didn’t know him. So, if Apoo or Urouge saw Kid with anyone, they would instantly call him out and make fun of him for it- which Kid wanted to avoid.</p><p>If Kid were honest, Apoo and Urouge were shit friends. Kid had only gotten acquainted with them because he was in the football team, where they first met. Due to his naturally strong physique, Kid quickly became one of their leading players. So, taking an interest in him, Apoo and Urouge eventually invited Kid into their clique.</p><p>Kid hadn’t known what to expect back then, since he was a freshman. Also, Killer was older than him so he couldn’t always be there with Kid. So, Kid had no choice but to stick with Apoo and Urouge as he didn’t want to be seen as a loner.</p><p>His ‘friends’ constantly insulted him, not that they were any better themselves. Sure, sometimes they were alright to talk to because they all came from the same type of background. However, they were mostly the type of people that Kid would choose not to hang out with because they would put you down.</p><p>As such, he wasn’t ready for Apoo and Urouge to meet Law yet. He wanted to keep Law a secret from them because he didn’t want them influencing Law with their shitty personality. Or worse, Kid didn’t want them making fun of him or Law.</p><p>Of course, that had been ruined when Law found him in school.</p><p>“Oho Eustass-ya. I see that you’ve already moved on from me.”</p><p>At the sound of the familiar voice, Kid turned around only to saw Law leaning against the lockers with a smug smile on his face. Apoo and Urouge stopped in their tracks to see what Kid was up to.</p><p>“Kid, who is this?” Urouge asked, pointing his finger at Law.</p><p>God, this man was really the death of him. Kid should have known better and told Law the real reason why he didn’t want Law to look for him in school. But now, Apoo and Urouge weren’t going to let him off. He had to find some way to make Law go away somehow.  </p><p>“Trafalgar… What did I say about lookin’ for me in school?” Kid growled.</p><p>“Now, now don’t be like that. I just wanted to see how my lovely boyfriend is doing.” Law said in a singsong voice, not seeing the subtle hints that Kid was giving him.</p><p>Kid tutted his tongue in annoyance. He noticed the subtle grin on both Apoo’s and Urouge’s faces, clearly amused at the situation at hand. Kid internally groaned because he knew he had no way out of this situation now.</p><p>“Woah Kid. You have a boyfriend?” Urouge mused.</p><p>Kid pursed his lips as he tried to come up with some sort of excuse. However, Apoo and Urouge were difficult to fool. They were the type of people who could easily guilt trip you into telling the truth. But, Law really <em>wasn’t</em> his boyfriend.</p><p>“Or it looks like Eustass got himself a little admirer.”, Apoo added on with a laugh.</p><p>Kid remained silent, not denying or confirming whatever Urouge and Apoo had said. He could feel his anger rising up within him. He shot them a glare that warned them not to provoke him any further. However, Law had assumed that Kid was pissed at him instead.</p><p>“So, you didn’t tell your friends about me? How cruel.” Law spat sarcastically.</p><p>“Yeah Eustass. Listen to your boyfriend. Why didn’t you tell us about him?” Urouge mocked, with a smug grin on his face.</p><p>“Just ignore the little fag. He’s probably just droolin’ all over your dick right now.” Apoo laughed.</p><p>That was the last straw.</p><p>“Will everyone just SHUT THE FUCK UP.” Kid roared.</p><p>Law frowned. He didn’t know what was going on with Kid but if he were being honest, he felt betrayed. He thought that they had something close to a friendship but, Kid probably just saw him as some sort of toy to fuck around with.</p><p>If Kid hated him so much, then it would be best to cut all ties with the man. While Law was genuinely upset to cut ties with Kid, he still had his dignity. Kid was probably straight and homophobic too. Law laughed darkly to himself. God, he was such an idiot for even trying to go after the man.</p><p> “Why? Are you afraid of being associated with me? Do I gross you out?” Law challenged. He looked at Kid in the eyes, searching for some sort of answer.</p><p>“You- No, it’s just-“, Kid tried to answer.</p><p>However, Law could hear the hesitation in his voice and that was all the confirmation that he needed. He had been played by Kid.</p><p>But now, he was done.</p><p>“If I’m such as embarrassment, then I guess I’ll see myself out. Please don’t contact me ever again. Have a good day, Mister Eustass.” Law replied coldly.</p><p>With that, he turned around and left.</p><p>Apoo and Urouge had simply laughed it off and went on as per usual. All Kid could do was stare at Law walking away from him. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly and punched the lockers beside him.</p><p>God, he was <em>pissed.</em></p><p>Not at Law, but at Apoo and Urouge.</p><p>Kid noticed how Law was visibly upset and that made Kid feel guilty. He hadn’t meant to yell at him. Heck, he wasn’t even yelling at Law to shut up. It was meant for Apoo and Urouge but, Law took it the wrong way.</p><p>Kid knew that he could come off as rude or abrasive to others who didn’t know him. Some people downright assumed that he would be an apologetic asshole whenever he said something ‘mean’.</p><p>But for those who knew him- His best friend Killer and some others -they would know that Kid was secretly a softie. He cared a whole fucking lot for others that sometimes, he would forget to take care of himself. In which, Killer would then reprimand him for worrying too much about others.</p><p>It’s just that, he couldn’t tell Law about his situation. He wouldn’t understand. Yet, he should have tried to tell Law somehow. But Law would get over this, right? If Kid explained himself to Law, he would forgive him, right? Technically, it wasn’t even his fault this happened.</p><p>No.</p><p>He knew the real problem was Apoo and Urouge. He should’ve just left their clique long ago. Fuck his reputation, that shit didn’t matter to Kid. In fact, he could just beat up anyone who pissed him off. Yeah, that seemed like a better solution.</p><p>Which is exactly what he did afterwards.</p><p>Kid strolled towards Apoo and Urouge, who thought that Kid was finally going to let the matter slide. Kid smirked and them before punching them both in the face. He then flipped them off and yelled ‘<em>FUCK OFF YA FUCKIN’ BITCH</em>’ before walking off.</p><p>The many onlookers who saw the entire situation unfold were whispering about how Kid <em>actually</em> had the guts dared to punch the two other supernovas of the school. Though, it didn’t really bother Kid. He would simply glare at them and they would immediately shut up.</p><p>His actions would probably jeopardize his scholarship but, who cares?</p><p>Okay, he cared. But he just didn’t want think too much about the consequences or what others might say because there was no point. Unless of course, they start annoying him then he would NEVER let them off.</p><p>Afterwards, Kid decided to head back to his dorm. He needed a fucking break from school after what happened. Besides, his professors wouldn’t mind him skipping classes as long as he proved that he could do well on their exams.</p><p>Killer, who happened to be his roommate, was studying in the dorm when Kid had returned. When the door had opened, Killer had just stared at Kid, waiting for him to explain himself.</p><p>So, Kid had no choice but to tell Killer everything that had happened. He couldn’t hide anything from Killer because he would either nag at him or completely ignore Kid for the next few days- which, in his opinion, was the worst punishment that Killer had ever came up with.</p><p>“I never understood why you put up with them since you hated them so much. So, I think it’s great that you finally beat them up.” Killer finally said after Kid had explained the entire situation to him.</p><p>“Yeah? You think so?” Kid muttered quietly.</p><p>“Yeah. I’m glad you finally made up your mind. But you should try talking to Law again soon.” Killer nodded.</p><p>“I will.”</p><p>After Killer had decided that he had nagged enough, he finally allowed Kid to return to his room to rest. While he knew that Kid was perfectly capable of managing his own emotions, he tend to overthink quite a bit which made Killer worry.</p><p>Kid laid sprawled out on his bed. He didn’t understand his own feelings. They felt almost foreign, like they were someone else’s. Though that incident had been on his mind, he wasn’t exactly feeling angry over it. In fact, Kid felt upset and regretful.</p><p>He thought about Law. What could the other man be doing right now? Should he text Law or should he wait for a little while? He just desperately wanted to explain himself to Law but, he would only do so when he felt like the time was right.</p><p>Kid sighed. He was just going to sleep it off.</p><p>He got up to change into something more comfortable, which just meant that he took off all his clothes except his boxers. He carefully removed this gold wrist cuffs that he would always wear on his arm. He would only take it off when he knew there was no one else around him (Killer was an exception of course).</p><p>Beneath his wrist cuffs was his own soulmate mark. It was a tiny black heart that appeared several years ago. However, it hadn’t given him any sort of clue.  </p><p>Until, his soulmate mark began to glow.</p><p>-</p><p>The soulmate mark on Ace’s arm changed when he woke up in the morning.</p><p>It was the first time a ‘normal’ sentence had appeared on his arm. To say he was surprised was an understatement, since all the sentences that had appeared on his arm before were simply innuendos.</p><p>This time however, it was oddly heart breaking.</p><p>
  <em>‘I need to stop thinking about him.’</em>
</p><p>Ace had no idea what that sentence had meant. Stop thinking about who? Who was he? Perhaps his soulmate had recently broke up with someone or maybe, she had a crush on someone.</p><p>There was just an endless amount of possibilities. So, Ace didn’t know where and how to start looking for his soulmate. He decided to pen down the sentences that had appeared on his arm so far and god, the girl was a weird one for sure.</p><p>After recording the sentence into his notebook, he put it aside and decided to check his social media and messages. He noticed that Law had sent him a link to some Instagram profile. When he clicked on it, it showed Sabo’s profile page.</p><p>Being curious, Ace scrolled through Sabo’s profile and saw various illustrations of dragons. Other than that, he had a few selfies of himself and that was it. Sabo didn’t have many followers either. Most of them were people he already knew such as Ivankov, Dragon, Luffy and… Even Law followed him?!</p><p>Ace silently cursed Law for following Sabo but not him. How could he betray Ace like that? Eventually, Ace decided to follow Sabo’s account too since, they were kind of friends now. He was about to tap away when one particular post caught his eye.</p><p>It was a picture of Sabo with a ginger haired female.</p><p>They both had large grins present on their faces with Sabo’s arm slung across the girl’s shoulder. Ace noticed how they wore matching outfits as well. It seemed to be a Halloween party of some sort.</p><p>Ace didn’t know he should react or feel. Was she Sabo’s girlfriend? Or perhaps, his soulmate? Sometimes he would see Sabo in school, and they would occasionally wave to each other but, that was it. That didn’t explain the odd pang he felt in his heart.</p><p>Was he hoping for something more?</p><p>He was interested to learn more about the blonde, but he had a feeling that the other secretly hated him or something. That day when Sabo had been at his apartment, Sabo seemed very jumpy and awkward. It was only during their talk when he started to relax a little.</p><p>Ace thought that maybe he might’ve scared Sabo off somehow. However, Law told about how Sabo talked a lot about him whenever he was with Luffy. So, he supposed he <em>could</em> try making the first move in their friendship.</p><p>He took one last glance at the picture of Sabo and the mysterious female before switching off his phone. There was no use in thinking too much about it, Ace supposed. Maybe one day he would ask Sabo about it.</p><p>For now, he had to get ready for class.</p><p>Apparently, they were going to have a new teacher for their health class since their previous one had just retired. Ace mentally groaned at the thought of having to deal with another boring professor, droning on about muscles. He would have to inform the new teacher about his health condition as well.</p><p>Since Ace had narcolepsy, he would fall asleep randomly. He could be talking midway through a sentence and pass out on his desk. While most of his teachers were aware of his condition, it still pissed them off because they thought Ace was faking it.</p><p>Well, Ace <em>did</em> have the medication and a medical report to prove that he had narcolepsy. However, it wasn’t as serious as most people thought it was. He would only have a sleep attack around five times a week at most.</p><p>However, sometimes (most of the time) he would pretend to have a narcolepsy attack whenever he was stuck in an unfavourable situation. For example, when he didn’t know the answer to the professor’s question, he would talk a little before pretending to have an attack.</p><p>Of course, this annoyed all his teachers to end and Marco was no exception.</p><p>Ace had been munching on his sandwich when Marco entered the lecture hall. He nearly spat his food on the person in front of him from shock. Marco on the other hand, quickly scanned the room, searching for someone.</p><p>When Marco finally spotted Ace and made eye contact with him, Ace’s face broke out into a large grin. Ace took a deep breath and opened his mouth, getting ready to yell <em>‘MISTER PINEAPPLE HEAD’</em> when Marco glared at him, warning him not to do it. So, Ace fell back into his seat and sulked like a child.</p><p>Seeing how Ace had calmed down, Marco internally sighed in relief. He wasn’t going to allow Ace to embarrass him on his first day as their new professor. He simply couldn’t allow a mere 20 year old boy to bring shame to him and his hard earned PHD.</p><p>For his first lecture, Marco decided to introduce himself and allowed the students to ask any questions they might have. Some students were polite enough to ask him about his expectations for lectures and assignments, while some others asked typical questions like what his favourite colour was.</p><p>One of them had even dared to ask about his relationship status and sexuality. Though Marco had no problem sharing that information with his class, he still felt that it was slightly weird that his students wanted to know such intimate information about him.</p><p>Immediately after he had answered that he was single, Ace decided to be a piece of shit.</p><p>“Sir! I have a question!” Ace exclaimed, raising his hand enthusiastically.</p><p>Marco quietly groaned. He knew that Ace was probably going to ask some sort of absurd question to embarrass him or some sort. As much as he didn’t want to entertain the freckled man, he didn’t exactly have a choice.</p><p>“Do you have a band aid?” Ace asked innocently.</p><p>Marco cocked his head in confusion. “…Why?...”</p><p>“Cause’ I scraped my knee while falling for you.” Ace answered with a smug smile on his face.</p><p>After understanding what he meant, Marco’s face flushed a deep shade of red. God, he really didn’t want to imagine Ace naked. The whole lecture hall had erupted in laughter and Marco instantly decided that he hated his job.</p><p>“Will you date me sir?”</p><p>“…This Q&amp;A session is over so shut up and sit down.”</p><p>In the subsequent days, whenever Marco had randomly decided to quiz the class about the topic they were learning as punishment. He would go around the lecture hall and get the students to answer his questions and if they couldn’t he would deduct marks from their assignments.</p><p>It was a great way for him to find out whether or not they were listening or not. But more importantly, it was a fantastic (and petty) way for him to ‘take revenge’ on his students. He had too much pride to simply let that incident slide.</p><p>However, whenever he called upon Ace, for some goddamn reason he would pass out on his desk. Though his classmates said that it was normal and it happened in every class they were in, it was suspicious how the man always seemed to fall asleep at the right timing.</p><p>There was <em>no way</em> his narcolepsy was legit.</p><p>So, one day after class, Marco had requested for Ace to go to his office. He began to question Ace about his ‘narcolepsy attacks’ and threatened to kick him out of his class if he had been slacking on purpose.</p><p>“I swear, I really do have narcolepsy! You can ask anyone. Literally anyone! I even have the reports to prove it.” Ace insisted.</p><p>Well, he wasn’t lying. It was the truth… to a certain extent at least.</p><p>Marco gave him a questioning look. He could see the shift in Ace’s eyes that indicated he was lying. Did Ace really take him for a fool? It was simply too unbelievable that Ace would have his narcolepsy attack whenever Marco asked him a question.</p><p>“I don’t believe you.”</p><p>“FINE. I’ll just get my dad to talk to you then.”, Ace huffed, crossing his arms.</p><p>Marco rolled his eyes in response to Ace’s antics. Who on earth was Ace’s dad? Did Ace really think that his dad would be able to get him out of trouble? Plus, Ace was an adult for goodness sake! Why would he need to get his dad involved?</p><p>“Hah? You must be delusional if you think your dad can convince me-yoi.” Marco raised his eyebrows and scoffed.</p><p>“Oh yeah? I’ll have you know that my dad is actually Whitebeard, so HA.” Ace retorted triumphantly.</p><p>“SO WHAT IF- Wait. Did you just say that your dad is Whitebeard…” Marco paused. What the fuck did Ace just say? Had he heard him correctly? Come on, he had to be joking.</p><p>Ace scratched his head and nodded sheepishly. “Yeah well, He’s my dad, kinda. Not really. It’s complicated.”</p><p>“…”</p><p>Marco remained silent. It couldn’t possibly be the same Whitebeard he was thinking of, right? It couldn’t be that much of a coincidence, right? Why did God like to pray tricks on him like this?  </p><p>“Marco? Hey pineapple? Helloooooo?” Ace called, waving his hand in front of Marco’s face. The pineapple haired man simply stared off into space while Ace wondered what was wrong.</p><p>Marco blinked in confusion before finally snapping out of it.</p><p>“THAT SHITTY OLD MAN WENT TO ADOPT ANOTHER SON AGAIN?”</p><p>Ace was like, the twelfth person he met that was Whitebeard’s son. He didn’t know why he just happened to accidentally discover that so many people were his sons. Just a few days before, he had met someone named Vista who mentioned that he was Whitebeard’s son.</p><p>It was way too soon to be meeting another one.</p><p>“What do you mean again? Are you saying he adopted you too?” Ace questioned curiously.</p><p>“I’m… his biological son. But, pops has a bad habit of adopting more kids into his family-yoi.” Marco explained.</p><p>Whitebeard was simply too kind-hearted for his own good. While Marco was always his priority, whenever Whitebeard saw a helpless child, he would do whatever it took to help them. Somehow, it would lead to him adopting the child. To this day, he had currently adopted about fifty ‘sons’.</p><p>However, it didn’t really bother Marco. In fact, he was glad that his ‘family’ expanded somewhat. He always enjoyed the reunion parties that Whitebeard liked to organize every Christmas. It lively and crowded, just the way he liked it.</p><p>“Soooo… You’re like my brother now?” Ace mused.</p><p>Marco cringed in disgust. He couldn’t imagine Ace being his younger brother. He was too… wild for one. He didn’t even consider Thatch and Izou, who were his closest friends, his siblings though Whitebeard had adopted them as well. They were more like colleagues or just comrades for that matter.</p><p>“God please NEVER call me that. I’m a little too old to be your brother.”</p><p>Ace pondered over what Marco had said before smirking in amusement. Marco, who noticed the evil grin on Ace’s face, braced himself for what Ace was about to say.</p><p>“Then, how about YOU be my daddy instead?” Ace wriggled his eyebrows suggestively.</p><p>“NO.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, what did you think? I tried to make it bittersweet which a touch of humor at the end. I also really wanted to add some story development to Kid and Law's relationship. That will be explored in the next chapter. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! It's slightly longer than my usual chapters. This is about 6k words! Normally I'd make sure each chapter is about 5k words. The next chapter update will happen sooner since I'm having summer break right now. So, stay tuned!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Think Of Me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm not dead!!!!!! I'm so sorry I took so long to update asdiasid I've been busy with college (as per usual). Please don't worry, because no matter what, I intend to finish this story!!!! Also if you've noticed, I've updated the tags- which i will continue to do over time because I dont want to spoil the story.</p><p>massive trigger warning!!!!!! <br/>Please take note!! The chapter contains mentions of physical and sexual abuse. Do NOT read it if you are uncomfortable with it. </p><p>With that, please enjoy the chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“<em>Law</em>.”</p><p>“Trafalgar Law, are you listening to me?”</p><p>The ten year old boy snapped back to his senses and turned his attention towards the taller man who was calling his name. The blonde haired man frowned and tutted his tongue in disappointment, seeing how distracted the young boy was.</p><p>He didn’t know why Law was just… so weak. He hadn’t even been training for an hour but he was already distracted. With every passing day, the boy got lazier and weaker and he wasn’t as obedient as before. Something must’ve had happened that turned him this way.</p><p>Doflamingo had higher hopes for Law but it looked like it was all going to waste.</p><p>It seemed like he had to be a little harsher on the boy so, he ordered Vergo to spar with Law once more. Vergo nodded mutely and dashed towards Law and attacked him swiftly with a kick to his gut.</p><p>Law’s eyes widened in fear and he stood frozen on the spot. He wasn’t able to dodge the attack on time, so he took on the kick at full force. He flew backwards, his back hitting against a wall with a loud ‘thud’. Law choked in pain and then he bawled over, vomiting blood.</p><p>However, that didn’t faze Vergo the slightest. Instead, he picked up the smaller boy from the ground and flung him across the training field. He continued to punch and kick at Law while Doflamingo watched him in amusement.</p><p>It went on for an hour or so as Vergo continuously attacked Law. With what little strength he had left, Law did his best to defend himself. But, it was impossible considering how much stronger and larger the other man was.</p><p>To Doflamingo, perhaps the greatest thrill of the training session was how beautiful Law was with all his marks and bruises covering his body. Seeing how the light had left Law’s eyes made the adrenaline surge throughout his entire body.</p><p>Doflamingo grinned maliciously.</p><p>Once he was finally satisfied with Vergo and Law’s little display, he clapped his hands and commanded his servants to bring the horribly injured Law to the infirmary. Vergo, on the other hand, muttered how the sparring session had ended too soon. He complained how the boy had been knocked out unconscious far too early for him to have had his fun.</p><p>Doflamingo simply chuckled in agreement. He detested how Law was so weak. Had the drugs not been effective? Or did he have to try other methods to train Law. It really was a shame that he passed out so quickly but, he had to keep the boy alive. After all, he was going to help rule of the Donquixote empire someday.</p><p>But, he couldn’t afford to let such a frail, disobedient boy to help him rule over his kingdom. It was unfitting for such a weakling to be the right hand of a king. Doflamingo cracked his knuckles and licked his lips.</p><p>He would just have to punish Law again later.</p><p>-</p><p>Law had been eight years old when it happened.</p><p>He had been a child when all his friends and family had died. He was a child when everyone else in the world decided to shun the country of Flevance, the country that was plagued by the Amber Lead Disease. He was a child when the country had been burned to bits by the world government.</p><p>He was eight when he was told that he was going to die.</p><p>However, the world hadn’t always been that cruel to him. There were fun and peaceful times before the tragedy had befallen Flevance. Back then, he had led a very simple life.</p><p>Ever since Law was little, he had always wanted to be a surgeon just like his father. His parents were delighted that he was going to follow their footsteps. But, since his parents were two of the best doctors in the country, they had very little time for him.</p><p>As a result, he was slightly closer to his younger sister, Lami, whom he cared a lot for. He spent most of his time at home studying and Lami would stick by his side. She would try to talk him into playing with her in which, Law would constantly brush her off and tell her not to bother him.</p><p>School was boring for Law. While he excelled academically and hadn’t had much of a reason to go to school, he still went to school to try and make friends. He hadn’t had much luck but at least he had one or two close friends who he’d stick by.</p><p>Just like that, life went by a blur during the first eight years of his life. It wasn’t fantastic but, he appreciated the little things. He loved walking by the beach alone on Sunday mornings and petting the dogs that would pass by. He loved how the city was bustling and full of life and yet, it could calm and quiet during the night.</p><p>There had been a carnival in some other part of the city. One that Lami had been begging to go for ages. So, their family decided to spend some time together as Law was able to finish up his studying and his parents finally had a day off. It was a day that he had been looking forward to.</p><p>On the day itself, everything was <em>perfect</em>. The weather was brilliant, with a gentle spring breeze and bright skies. The city that was pure white amber lead before, was decorated in all colours of the rainbow. There were families all around, indulging themselves in the activities and food that the festival had to offer.</p><p>What happened afterwards went by all too quickly.</p><p>Just as Law returned with some cotton candy that he had gotten for Lami, she had suddenly collapsed on the floor. She screamed in pain as her body had begun to hurt. Their parents had panicked and immediately dropped by her side to check her pulse and examined for any signs of an incoming fever.</p><p>Then, a few more cries were heard and more people started to collapse on the floor. The screaming hadn’t stopped as Law watched his parents frantically try to assist as many people as they could. Law couldn’t breathe.</p><p>Everything went black.</p><p>When Law was conscious, he found himself on the bed in his room. He tried to sit upright but, his body felt unbelievably heavy. It made him wonder if that day had all been just a bad dream. Till, he looked down at his arms and saw white patches.</p><p>He panicked for a moment before trying to rationalize that it was probably just a rash. Though he tried to remain calm, there was a nagging voice in his head that was telling him something was wrong. According to his medical knowledge, it could be something worse. Something like a disease.</p><p>Law dashed out of his room to look for Lami. He went into her room only to see his parents crying as they knelt by her bed. There was a sinking feeling in his heart. He choked back on his tears and he watched Lami close her eyes for the last time.</p><p>Not for long, people had begun to storm Flevance. It didn’t take long for the news of the Amber Lead disease to spread to the neighbouring countries. Eventually, the rest of the world had known about the city’s demise.</p><p>The world government had ordered for the city of Flevance to be burned to bits with no survivors left behind. Death plagued the city whether it was due to the riots or because the people had succumbed to the disease.</p><p>In the midst of all the chaos, Law’s parents had been desperately trying to find a cure. Law had been spying on his parents, looking through their research as an attempt to understand the nature of the disease. But of course, everyone else believed that the disease had no chances of survival. So, while searching for a vaccine, Law’s parents were killed.</p><p>It had been late at night and there were loud gunshots that came from their bedroom. Law had been awake at that time so, he heard the voices that confirmed that his parents were dead. He had no time to think as knew the city wasn’t safe anymore. All he could do then was to <em>run</em>.</p><p>The only option for survival was to leave Flevance. The riots were getting worse as each day went by. Families and friends all around him were dying. Flevance would soon be gone and it would simply become a fragment of the past. There was nothing left for him anyways since everyone he knew were dead.</p><p>He watched as the white city burned in the night. From a distance, he could see his house falling apart. His heart clenched as he slowly begun to recall the fond memories he had in his home. No, in Flevance.</p><p>The last thing he said to his parents before he never saw them again was, “<em>HOW COULD YOU LET HER DIE? WEREN’T YOU GUYS SUPPOSED TO BE THE BEST DOCTORS IN THE WORLD?”</em></p><p>Law slapped himself.</p><p>He shouldn’t have said that. He should’ve known that his parents would try everything they could to save Lami. But now, it was too late. All he could do was just get out of the city before he was caught. As much as it pained him, he knew his family would want him to live on. So, he took one last look at the city before he hopped onto a small rowboat and escaped.</p><p>Just like that, everything was gone.</p><p>Perhaps the worst part of it was that he didn’t have time to mourn for the dead. He couldn’t say goodbye to his friends and family or give them a proper burial. The only memento he had managed to salvage was a small gold bracelet that his parents had given him as a birthday present and a spotted hat that Lami made for him.</p><p>He searched for a place to go. He drifted across the sea and in the night, he stole from the ships that were nearby. However, the disease was starting to eat his life away. The white patches on his body only multiplied with each passing day and the pain on his body had become unbearable as he had little hope for survival.</p><p>His memory was foggy but, the last place he remembered drifting to was Dressrosa. Afterwards, he had blacked out from exhaustion. When he next opened his eyes, he had found himself in a bedroom that reminded him of his own.</p><p>He felt a sense of déjà vu as he woke up in bed. Rubbing his eyes, Law inspected the room more closely and realized that it wasn’t his own. He glanced down at his clothes found that he was in a set of more comfortable pyjamas. His clothes and hat were on a desk, as it had been washed and neatly folded.</p><p>Panicking, Law scrambled to the door. Adrenaline pumped throughout his veins as he wondered if he had been kidnapped or some sort. He had no idea what was going on and had absolutely no clue of where he was.</p><p>As he was about to twist the doorknob, the door had burst open. Law flinched in preparation for who was about to appear. A second later, he noticed a small girl with a yellow bow on her head waddling into his room with a tray of food.</p><p>Law’s stomach rumbled as he saw the Japanese style bento on the tray. He hadn’t had a proper meal since the tragedy had happened. The only food that he had been eating ever since he escaped was mouldy bread. He swore that he would never touch another slice of bread afterwards. So, seeing a bento with so much meat made his mouth water.</p><p>However, he wasn’t sure if he could trust the girl. Though she seemed relatively harmless, she could’ve poisoned his food or something. Or worse, she could be working for the world government and was sent here to kill him. It never hurt to be wary of his surroundings so, Law decided to question her.</p><p>“Who are you?” Law asked cautiously.</p><p>After placing the tray of food on his desk, the girl turned her attention to Law. She raised an eyebrow and placed her arms on her hips, as if Law had said something offensive. Law simply blinked in confusion, not understanding what was going on.</p><p>“Isn’t it common courtesy to introduce yourself first? Hmph, whatever. I’m Baby 5.” She grumbled.  </p><p>“What kind of name is Baby 5?” Law scoffed.</p><p>Her name had sounded more like a codename rather than an actual name. Law wasn’t buying it at all. Baby 5 could the disbelief in Law’s eyes so, she crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks pettily.</p><p>“Oh yeah? Let’s hear your name then.” She retorted.</p><p>“…Trafalgar D. Water Law.”</p><p>“Ha. Your name isn’t any better! You big meanie!”</p><p>Baby 5 stuck out her tongue childishly while Law gave her a death glare. Then, Baby 5 had suddenly burst into tears and she ran out of the door. While Baby 5 had been odd, she was the only person who could give him answers.</p><p>Law was about to chase after her so that he could ask more questions when a tall blonde man entered the room, stopping him in his tracks. The man donned an extravagant pink feathered coat and wore a blouse with a very intricate design.</p><p>Standing tall and proud, the man gave off an aura of royalty. The sunglasses he wore shielded his eyes, preventing Law from seeing how the man truly looked like. From the way the man dressed, Law was sure that the man was a noble.</p><p>“W-who are you? What do you want from me?” Law stuttered anxiously.</p><p>He backed away from the taller man and picked up the fork on his tray as an attempt to defend himself. If this man really were a noble, it meant that Law could be killed at any moment. While he had lost everything, he still <em>wanted</em> to live for the sake of his family.</p><p>“Now, now. Is that how you should talk to your saviour?” The man chided.</p><p>He had a wide grin on his face that made Law feel uneasy. Perhaps it was the lack of smile lines or the absence of the crinkle in the man’s eyes. Whatever it was, his smile had seemed like an act. Something about the man made Law feel unsafe.</p><p>“Hah? My saviour? Do you work for the world government? Have you come to kill me?” Law snorted in response.</p><p>“Kill you? Of course not. Take a look at your arms, you’ll see what I mean.”</p><p>Law blinked in confusion. He rolled up the sleeves of his pyjamas and realized that the white spots on his arms had somehow vanished. His heartbeat quickened as he quickly inspected his legs and the rest of his body.</p><p>All the white patches were gone.</p><p>“B-but how…?” Law questioned himself.</p><p>That did not go unheard by the blonde man. He chuckled at Law’s disbelief and confusion and squatted down to eye level with Law. He gently took Law’s forearm and ran his fingers over it, admiring the unblemished pale skin.</p><p>“I have a splendid man here under my care. He was able to examine and cure your… Amber Lead disease, if I’m not mistaken. Now that you are better, you are free to return to wherever you came from.” The man explained.</p><p>Law remained silent. He didn’t understand how that mysterious doctor somehow managed to cure his disease but, it did seem legit considering how he felt much better than before. Even if it was just a sham, at least he managed to outlive most people in Flevance- which is considered a win.</p><p>Still, what wondered what he should do.</p><p>“I… don’t have anywhere else to go.” Law muttered quietly.</p><p>“Is that so? In that case, work for me and in return, I shall provide you with shelter and food. Not to worry, there are other children your age that you can make friends with too. All you have got to do is help out around the mansion and that will be it.”</p><p>Law’s uneasy feeling in his gut didn’t disappear then but, he decided that he should repay the man who saved him. It wasn’t as if he had anything better to do. He didn’t have any extended family to help him out either.</p><p>“I… I accept.” Law spoke eventually.</p><p>The man’s grin had only grown wider at Law’s response. He stuck out his hand for Law to shake so they could seal the deal. Law paid no mind to the man’s odd actions and simply accepted the handshake without second thought.</p><p>“Welcome to the Donquixote family.”</p><p>-</p><p>Ever since Law had joined the Donquixote family, things had been going rather well.</p><p>In the beginning at least.</p><p>On weekdays, his schedule mainly consisted of home school as taught by the teachers that Doffy had hired. Him, along with Baby 5 and a few others, were taught typical school subjects during the day. However, when Doffy had discovered how Law was way ahead of his age, he had decided to get Vegapunk to be his personal teacher.</p><p>In the afternoon, he would then be required to train and hone his fighting skills. Diamante would teach them how to wield a sword and fight against other people. He would frequently spar against the other children and win effortlessly.</p><p>At night, they would all have dinner together. From the day he had agreed to work for Doffy, attending family dinnertime was always required. It was the time where all the children and executives of the Donquixote family would come together and spend time with each other.</p><p>Law was reluctant to admit it but, he had really enjoyed dinnertime with the family. They would talk freely about anything and they would play games with everyone. It really made feel like he was part of a family.</p><p>During weekends, he was free to do whatever he liked. He would go horseback riding or spend his time reading in the library. Otherwise, he would entertain Baby 5 by playing hide and seek with her. But really, he would hide himself in a small corner of the library where Baby 5 wouldn’t be able to find him at all.</p><p>It didn’t help that Baby 5 reminded him of his sister. The way she would constantly pester Law and how she would pout or cry to get Law’s attention. Sometimes Law would get annoyed, but he just couldn’t bring himself to hate her. So, he spent most of his time entertaining her.</p><p>A few months had flown by quickly as Law’s constant good behaviour and great performance eventually earned him the right to roam around city freely. He had permission to roam the streets of Dressrosa without anyone accompanying him as he had finally earned Doffy’s trust.</p><p>Law was elated. He had been wanting to explore the city for a long time after hearing the countless amounts of stories from Viola. So, he decided to make a trip to the colosseum, the place that Viola had spoken so much about.</p><p>However, when the day arrived, he had barely walked a kilometre when he bumped into a freakishly tall man. Law silently cursed the other and was about to scream when the man had suddenly caught on fire.</p><p>Yes. The man had caught on fire from absolutely <em>nothing.</em></p><p>Panicking, Law quickly scanned his surroundings, looking for some way to put out the fire. He spotted a fire hydrant with a hose nearby and without hesitation, he turned on the tap and drenched the man in water.</p><p>The man screamed from the cold sensation of the water and jumped around. Then, he slipped on the floor and landed on his bum. Law cringed at the sight of the man. He was amazed at how much bad luck this mysterious man had.</p><p>Not knowing what else to do, Law offered his hand and helped the man on his feet. The man gratefully took his hand and shakily got up on his feet. He removed the hat on his head and squeezed the water out of it before speaking.</p><p>“Thanks for saving me back there. My name’s Corazon.”</p><p>“It’s fine. I’m Law.”</p><p>There was a moment of awkward silence as Corazon struggled to think of what to say. They stared at one another, waiting for the other person to speak. Corazon didn’t have much experience with children… or humans for that matter.</p><p>“So… where are your parents? You seem to be alone.” Corazon inquired after a little while.</p><p>“They’re dead.” Law deadpanned.</p><p>Corazon cringed at Law’s response. He was worried that perhaps that he had struck a nerve or something but, Law seemed to be… fine. He coughed and tried to change the topic, “Wow uh, oookay. But where are you living now?”</p><p>“Uh. The Donquixote family.”</p><p>Corazon paused. He didn’t know if he had heard Law correctly. Donquixote? This man was in some serious danger. If what Law had said was indeed true, then he needed to help Law escape <em>immediately.</em></p><p>“You need to get out of there.” Corazon spoke seriously.</p><p>“Why?” Law asked, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>“The Donquixote family is a bunch of criminals who have done many things. They are a group of the most notorious people in the world More importantly, they kidnap young children like yourself and sell them as slaves.” He explained.</p><p>Law took a moment to let Corazon’s words sink in. He couldn’t imagine Doflamingo being a bad guy considering how the man had saved his life. Sure, sometimes he was strict with Law but it was only natural since he mentioned that he wanted Law to help run his empire someday.</p><p>But there were rumours.</p><p>As he wandered around the halls late in the night, he would hear the servants gossiping about the young master. They talked about the things he did to them, how he would punish them for the smallest things. Even Viola had once hinted how Doffy wasn’t as nice as he seemed.</p><p>Apparently, most of the time Doffy during the day, he would spend his time… punishing the servants. That made Law slightly afraid, but he had hopes that Doffy was a good man. Still, there was no way Doffy was just using him, right?</p><p> “I… don’t believe you.” Law mumbled unsurely.</p><p>Corazon sighed in frustration. He hadn’t expected the kid to be so stubborn, so he had no choice. The man Law had known as ‘Corazon’ pulled out his ID card which revealed his real name, <em>Donquixote Rocinante</em>.</p><p>Rocinante. Law had heard the name Rocinante from Doffy once. He said something about having a brother who was evil of all sorts. Law didn’t know what Doffy had meant but Law assumed that the man was working for the government. So, did this mean that ‘Corazon’ was here for to capture Law?</p><p>“You… You’re <em>him.</em> You are just trying to arrest me or k-kill me.” Law stuttered.</p><p>“No wait! I-“</p><p>Then, he covered his ears and ran away.</p><p>Law’s head had begun to hurt. Who could he really trust? Not Corazon for sure. What he felt about Doffy on the other hand, was confusing to him as well. He wasn’t sure why but a part of him was saying that he should trust Corazon instead.</p><p>When Law arrived back at the mansion, he trudged his way towards the dining hall. While he desperately wanted nothing but to lie in bed, he knew how much Doffy looked forward to dinnertime with his family.</p><p>He tried to slip into the dining hall quietly. However, he had failed to do so as Doffy immediately spotted him entering the room. It was then, Law noticed how the air in the dining hall was unbelievably tense.</p><p>An entire feast had been laid out but not a single dish had been touched. Even the glasses of water on the table were still filled to the brim. Something was very, very wrong.</p><p>Normally, dinnertime would be the noisiest time of the day in the Donquixote household. But for some reason, everyone was silent in their seats. The only sound that could be heard was Doffy drumming his fingers impatiently on the dining table.  </p><p>Not knowing what to do, Law hurriedly took his seat at the table. Was Doffy pissed at him? Why would he be pissed anyways? Though many thoughts ran through Law’s mind, he hadn’t dared to utter a single word.</p><p>After what felt like an eternity, Doflamingo suddenly slammed his hands on the table, causing those who sat near him to jump in fright. Law said a silent prayer, fearing what the man would do.</p><p>To his surprise, Doffy had merely decided to announce the start of dinner.</p><p>Law sighed in relief, seeing how Doffy wasn’t too upset. On the other hand, Baby 5 anxiously told Law that he shouldn’t be too happy just yet. So, just as Baby 5 had warned, after dinner was done, then came the first punishment.</p><p>It began with emotional guilt tripping.</p><p>Doffy tell Law about how he would delay everybody’s dinner and how he would be very upset. He chided him about how he expected better behaviour from Law. Law instantly felt guilty for his actions but, it somehow felt like it wasn’t his fault.</p><p>The next few times, it became more physical.</p><p>While Law still had permission to leave the house, a bodyguard would have to follow him all the time. Most of the time, he would notice Corazon lurking around trying to make contact with him. But, if what Corazon said was really true then… He didn’t want Corazon to be any part of this.</p><p>But of course, that wasn’t only the new change Doffy made. Doffy had also decided to slowly increase the amount of training, chores and studying hours each day. This left Law with little to no time left to leave the house.</p><p>As his workload increased, so did Doffy’s expectations. Whenever Law would make a mistake, the emotional guilt tripping would make a reappearance. Overtime, Doffy must’ve had noticed how Law had grown desensitized to his threats. So, he introduced physical punishment as an alternative.</p><p>It started as a slap. Then it became a punch and a kick. That wasn’t <em>nearly</em> enough for Doffy. Then came the whip or any object that Doffy had on his hand at the time. It would go on till Law was a bloody mess and pleaded for mercy or, even beyond that.</p><p>Law could take a lot. He could endure the pain, the emotional abuse, the mental manipulation. All he had to do was dissociate his thoughts from reality for a bit. That had always helped him cope.</p><p>Until one day, it became sexual.</p><p>He desperately tried to push all sorts of possible scenarios that he had imagined out of his mind. Law felt like he still had sort of control despite being beaten into a bloody pulp each day. Little did he know that all his worst nightmares were about to come to life.</p><p>Doffy had been oddly nice to him for the first time in a while. All he wanted to do was to get to know Law better. He promised Law that he wouldn’t hurt him. Of course, Law wasn’t enough of a fool to believe his worlds. But, what else could he do? It wasn’t as if he could reject Doffy’s requests.</p><p>So, he led Law into his room.</p><p>It all began with the gentle touches of Doffy’s fingers running up and down the skin of his arm. Law flinched instinctively at the touch. He hadn’t felt a touch that gentle in a long time ever since the day he had been punished for the first time.</p><p>While he felt uncomfortable, he made no comment as he feared that the man would beat him instead. But, he didn’t want to give in to Doffy either. So, he kept a neutral expression on his face.</p><p>That was when Doffy’s touches got bolder.</p><p>His hands slid towards his inner thighs and began to gently massage it. Law whimpered in fright and bile slowly began to rise up in his throat. He couldn’t breathe. He desperately wanted to scream but he knew that no one would come to his aid. All this while Doffy had watched him squirm in amusement.</p><p>In an instant, Doffy ripped the buttons of Law’s blouse and pushed him down onto the bed. Law yelped in pain as he tried to break free from Doffy’s grip. However, Doffy’s weight held Law down so, he was unable to move.</p><p>He held Law’s wrists with a single hand and then began planting kisses down his stomach. Law didn’t understand what was happening and why it was happening. Tears began to form at his eyes as he tried to choke back his tears. He wouldn’t cry in front of Doffy. He knew how much the man hated to see him cry.</p><p>Unfortunately, Doffy had noticed. He grinned maliciously and leaned in to lick the tears off Law’s face.</p><p>Then, the worst happened.</p><p>-</p><p>Law screamed.</p><p>Sweat drenched his skin and he gasped desperately for air. His body was trembling uncontrollably, and tears streamed down from his eyes. He sat up on his bed and tried to catch his breath but, he wasn’t able to calm down.</p><p>In that second, the world had suddenly felt unreal. Law pinched himself to bring himself back to reality but, it hadn’t worked. If he blinked, he would see the white room that once trapped him. Was he going to die?</p><p>Law quickly scrambled onto his feet and searched for his medication that was hidden somewhere in his room. After finding the bottle of pills, he immediately popped the pill into his mouth and swallowed it.</p><p>It took a little while before the medication would start to take effect, so he sat silently on his bed trying to forget the nightmare that he just had. When it finally brought him relief, he laid back onto his bed in exhaustion.</p><p>So much for trying to sleep, huh?</p><p>There was no way he was going to fall asleep anytime soon after what had just happened. All he could do was find something to distract him from his own mind. His thoughts eventually wandered back to the events that had happened earlier in the day.</p><p>He thought a lot about Kid.</p><p>Kid was… weird in a way. Law didn’t understand why Kid would care about him, it really confused him. Though he liked to tease Law and playfully insult him- it was mainly because Law made fun of Kid- Kid still really cared about him.</p><p>It wasn’t just because of their little video chat the other day. The man had bothered to reply him and entertain all his 3am rants although he grumbled about how he was tired and wanted to sleep. It was the little compliments that he liked to slip into their conversations that gave Law the confidence to go on with life.</p><p>He obviously enjoyed talking to the redhead a lot. So, it wasn’t unreasonable of him to be upset about the incident that happened right? It hurt him to know that Kid was simply putting up an act the whole time.</p><p>Or, maybe he had a valid reason? Though Law couldn’t think of any reason that Kid might have had, a part of him just couldn’t accept how his friendship with Kid had ended just like that. It was too soon for his own liking. Perhaps he was too harsh on Kid, or it could be the opposite where he should’ve been harsher on him.</p><p>His mind tried to wrap around the thought of losing a friend that actually mattered to him and he just... He couldn’t accept it. He couldn’t bear to lose this bond that he had with Kid. Not after how Kid had proven to be worthy of his trust.</p><p>Law’s heart clenched as he recalled how he had told Kid not to contact him ever again. While he wished he could take back his words, they were his self-defence mechanism. He didn’t want to get hurt any which was why, he thought it was a better idea to distance himself from Kid before he got too attached.</p><p>The unsettling feelings he had eventually led him to call Kid.</p><p>He wasn’t sure if the other would even pick up the call but, nonetheless, he was just going to try his luck. Law pressed the call button and listened to the soft ringtone that played. It rang for a little while and Law was about to hang up when Kid had finally picked up the call.</p><p>“Trafalgar?” The voice groaned tiredly.</p><p>“Eustass-ya… I…” Law began, his voice trailing off.</p><p>“Hey, what’s wrong? Are you alright?” Kid asked anxiously.</p><p>All Kid could hear across the receiver was heavy breathing. It sounded as if Law was having a breakdown or some sort. He had a bad feeling that something was happening to so, Kid began to panic.</p><p>“Oi, Trafalgar? You okay?” Kid repeated.</p><p>“…No…”</p><p>“That’s it, I’m going over.”</p><p>It didn’t take long before Kid arrived at the apartment. Ace and Luffy were heavy sleepers so they couldn’t hear a thing as they were dead asleep. Kid realized that the door was unlocked so he silently entered the front door.</p><p>Law’s door was left ajar, so Kid invited himself into Law’s room. He silently cursed as he saw how Law curled up in a small corner of his room with his blanket covering hm. The entire room was in a mess with stacks of paper and clothes thrown everywhere.</p><p>Everything, including Law, was a goddamn mess.</p><p>Kid wasn’t exactly sure what to do in situations like these as he had little experience in helping other people out with their panic attacks. If anything, he was the one who experienced them while Killer attempted to comfort him. He recalled the things that Killer did and said and decided to give it a shot.</p><p>He threw his bag to the side and slowly sat himself in front of Law, making sure to keep a slight distance between them. Law watched his movements, careful and calculated. Kid was nervous to say the least.</p><p>“Do ya wanna talk about it?” Kid finally asked.</p><p>Law drew a sharp breath. He didn’t know where he should begin or what he should even tell Kid. There were just too many things that had happened in his entire lifetime for him to begin telling Kid.</p><p>“I…”</p><p>“You don’t have to force yerself if you don’t want to.”</p><p>Law nodded slowly. He had no problem sharing his past with Kid but… Would that scare him away? Would Kid leave him if he told Kid the truth? In his life, he had only ever told his friends Penguin and Shachi about his past. While they were accepting and kind, he hated relying on them.</p><p>He felt like he was a burden whenever Shachi and Penguin had decided to comfort him during his panic attacks. He hated how he would be cynical and depressed all the goddamn time. He despised how he was used and how the marks on his body would never fade.</p><p>Law just wanted to die.</p><p>“Eustass-ya… Do you find me disgusting?” Law quietly asked.</p><p>“No.”</p><p>Hearing how Kid answered with no hesitation made warmed Law’s heart. At the same time, he felt angry because Kid was truly an airhead. He hadn’t even told Kid about his past yet. After he told Kid what really happened, he was sure to leave.</p><p>“But he- His hands were <em>everywhere</em> Eustass-ya. And I- I couldn’t stop him. It happened EVERY SINGLE DAY. I hated it so, so much. But I… I couldn’t fight him. I…” Law choked.</p><p>“I’m sorry.”</p><p>That was all it took for Law to break down into tears. His breath began to quicken and Law choked back a sob. Kid instinctively moved closer towards Law and embraced him as hard as he could.</p><p>“I’m so, so sorry.”</p><p>“You didn’t deserve any of that.”</p><p>“But, I’m here now. You are safe here, with me. I’ll protect you and make sure no one will ever lay their hands on you EVER again. You hear me?”</p><p>That had caused Law to chuckle. Why did it sound like a love confession? Did Kid truly care about him after all? He slowly pulled himself away from Kid and wiped his tears away with the back of his hand.</p><p>Maybe he could give Kid a chance but, still. He wasn’t going to burden Kid with all his problems. After all, he had dealt with the constant terrors and nightmares of Doflamingo all by himself for the past ten years. He didn’t want to start relying on other people now.  </p><p>“While I appreciate the sentiment Eustass-ya, I’m afraid it’s not as simple as it seems. The trauma of my past has been affecting me for so long that I’m even sure that I’m in the right mind anymore. So, the only way for me to finally have some peace of mind is if I kill him.” Law laughed.</p><p>“Then I’ll help you.”</p><p>Law scoffed in disbelief. Why the hell was Kid so stubborn? He thought that Kid was a smart guy since he mentioned that he had a scholarship. But sometimes, talking to him really made Law’s IQ drop.</p><p>“No, you won’t. He is MY problem, Eustass-ya. He is not some easy target. Going after him means that I have to sacrifice my life. So, I’m not going to drag you into something that you aren’t even involved in. This is my fight, not yours.”</p><p>Listening to Law, Kid made a loud snort. “Goddammit Trafalgar. You are so stupid sometimes.” Kid laughed.</p><p>“Hah?”, Law blinked in confusion.</p><p>“Look. He hurt you, so I’m going to beat him up. It’s that simple.” Kid explained.</p><p>Law groaned in frustration. Really, how stubborn was Kid? Law never liked involving people with his problems because he didn’t want to burden them with things they shouldn’t be concerned about.</p><p>“You- You IDIOT. Did you not hear what I just said? Do you happen to be deaf, Eustass-ya? Or are you simply just stupid?” Law argued angrily</p><p>“Yea, I heard ya. But you said it yourself, you could lose your life by going after him. I’m not going to let you die, Trafalgar. So, I’m going with you.” Kid countered.</p><p>Law sighed loudly. Why was this man so goddamn persistent? Why couldn’t Kid just leave him alone? All Law wanted was to simply get Doflamingo out of his life for good so that he could finally move on. Why the fuck would Kid care? He didn’t understand.</p><p>“You’re so fucking stupid.” He muttered.</p><p>Kid was about to retort when he suddenly felt a pair of lips brushing against his own, silencing him. It took several moments before Kid could process what was happening. Then, his eyes fluttered shut as he cupped Law’s face and brought him closer to deepen the kiss.</p><p>It lasted for a little while. Kid hadn’t known what to say so he poured all his feelings into the kiss and hoped that Law would understand how much he really cared for him. That he actually felt something for Law.</p><p>“Thank you.”, Law whispered as they broke apart.</p><p>Kid snorted and poked Law’s side playfully. Then, his hand slowly creeped its way into Law’s and then he entwined it with his own. He squeezed Law’s hand gently, signalling that he would stay if Law wanted to sleep.</p><p>Law nodded, yawning tiredly before resting his head on Kid’s shoulder. He snuggled closer to Kid’s side and dozed off. After making sure Law was sound asleep, it wasn’t long before Kid too had fell into a deep slumber.</p><p>Unbeknownst to them, Law’s soulmate mark had begun to shrink a little while Kid’s had grown.</p><p>-</p><p>Sabo didn’t like having a crush.</p><p>Being lovesick was worse than actually being sick. Ace was like a plague, infecting his thoughts all the goddamn time. It was bad because he would check his phone, anticipating a message from Ace since they had begun to text. Sometimes Sabo would initiate a conversation, but Ace would take a long time to reply which caused Sabo to be impatient.</p><p>He hated how he would think about Ace every waking moment, throughout the entire day. It was starting to get ridiculous as every little thing reminded him of the other. He would see the food and think about how Ace liked to eat lots. Or, he could just see something orange and be reminded of how it’s Ace’s favourite colour.</p><p>In class, he would daydream about being in relationship with Ace. He imagined them going on dates and how they would spend time together. His heart fluttered at the thought of how they could hold hands and how he would be able to tell everyone how he got the handsomest man in the world.</p><p>Someone needed to stop him.</p><p>Sabo was on his way to his next class, thinking about Ace as per usual, when he heard a familiar voice calling out to him. He snapped back to his senses and came face to face with the freckled man who was waving at him.</p><p>“Oi, Sabo! You alright?” Ace called out, walking towards him.</p><p>Sabo hastily brushed his hair and straightened his clothes in an attempt to look slightly more presentable. If he had known that he would bump into Ace, he would have worn something else instead of an over-sized jumper that just made him look like a hobbit.</p><p>On the other hand, Ace was dressed in a white blouse that was unbuttoned at the top, as well as his usual black shorts. In Sabo’s opinion, it was unfair how Ace could look good in a plain white blouse.</p><p>God really hated him.</p><p>“Y-yeah I’m fine. So, what’s up?” Sabo nervously spoke, trying to prevent his face from turning red at the sight of Ace.</p><p>Ace grinned and slung his arm around Sabo’s shoulder. “Eh, just getting some lunch. I just finished class with some new teacher named Marco. What about you?”</p><p>“I’m just heading to Kuzan’s lecture right now. But I don’t really wanna go since he’s so boring.” Sabo sighed in response.</p><p>“Is that so? In that case, do ya wanna skip class and hang out with me instead?” Ace asked excitedly.</p><p>Sabo mentally panicked. It was a great opportunity to hang out with Ace, since they hadn’t really hung out since Sabo went over to for dinner. But, he had classes… Though. It’s not like they mattered much.</p><p>“I…” Sabo spoke hesitantly.</p><p>“Come on, it’ll be fine. Besides, Kuzan isn’t going to notice. He’s half asleep most of the time anyways.” Ace pleaded.</p><p>Well, Ace did have a point. In most of their lectures, Kuzan would normally just read off the textbook or he would just give them something to do. Sometimes, he would just play a video on the screen till the time was up.</p><p>He didn’t bother calling upon students to answer questions or anything. Each time, the only thing he seemed to be looking forward to is to go home. So, frankly there wasn’t really much of a point going for his classes. Sabo just went for them because… He was a good student. (But really, Koala would just nag at him)</p><p>“I… Alright, fine.” Sabo agreed eventually.</p><p>They eventually decided to grab lunch elsewhere instead of the cafeteria in the college since Ace wanted to get dessert afterwards. Sabo had no choice but to follow him, since he had already agreed to skip his classes for Ace…. And because Ace was dragging him forcefully by his arm.</p><p>They ended up in some Spanish diner that was apparently famous for having the best burritos. Once they had their orders taken, they took a seat in the restaurant. Sabo felt rather awkward as he had no idea what he should talk about. He just hoped that Ace was better at small talk than he was.</p><p>“So, what have you been up to recently?” Ace asked, drumming his fingers on the table.</p><p>“Nothing much. Just homework and well… homework.” Sabo groaned tiredly, resting his head on his arm.  </p><p>Ace hummed in amusement and nodded his head slowly. It wasn’t long before the waitress had arrived with their food and drinks had arrived. The waitress, whose name tag read ‘Baby 5’, grumpily slammed the tray of food on the table.</p><p>Sabo was about to tell her off but noticed how she was rather attractive. So, he decided against it and watched the waitress stomp away. This hadn’t gone unnoticed by Ace, who was sipping his smoothie silently. After the girl was out of sight, he put aside his drink and decided to pop the big question.</p><p>“You got a girlfriend?”</p><p>Sabo nearly spat his tea all over Ace.</p><p>He forcefully swallowed down his drink instead which led him to choke. Sabo started hacking away furiously while Ace threw him tissues so that he could clean himself up. Seriously though, Sabo wondered where the hell Ace got the idea that he had a girlfriend?</p><p>“WHAT? Where on earth did that come from?” Sabo coughed, wiping his mouth with the tissue that Ace has passed him.</p><p>“Is that a yes or a no?” Ace pressed on, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>“OF COURSE NOT. Who the hell would wanna date some weird guy with a huge scar on his face?” Sabo cried exasperatedly.</p><p>Sabo knew he looked hideous. While no one ever explicitly told him that, he observed how people acted around him. Whenever he went out, he always had people staring weirdly at him, whispering and pointing out his flaws. However, there was no way for him to mask the ugly marking on his face and his mismatched eye colour.</p><p>Even without his scars, he would still consider himself unattractive and unappealing. He was slightly too tall which made it hard for him to talk to people. His hair was always a mess because it was too long and curly. Not to mention, he was horribly introverted and socially inept so, he had difficulty connecting with other people.</p><p>With the amount of flaws he had, who would ever want him?</p><p>“Wellllllllllll, I do.”</p><p>Sabo’s head snapped upwards in surprise. That was definitely NOT the answer that he had been expecting. He couldn’t tell if Ace was being serious or not. He stared at the freckled man, searching for signs or hints that might indicate that Ace was kidding. However, Sabo really couldn’t tell.</p><p>Not knowing how to respond, Sabo gave the lamest reply he could think of.</p><p>“… Very funny…” He muttered and then lightly punched his arm afterwards. Ace chuckled softly and then, there was a moment of awkward silence.</p><p>Sabo wondered if he should’ve responded with something else. Why was the atmosphere so tense? It made Sabo feel uncomfortable, which he didn’t like. He looked to Ace, who was chewing on his burrito contently. Sabo mimicked his actions and decided to continue the topic.</p><p>“What about you then? Got anyone in your life?” Sabo inquired, trying his best to keep his cool.</p><p>“Nah, not at the moment.” Ace snorted, stabbing his tater tots.</p><p>“I’m surprised a guy like you is still single.” Sabo mused.</p><p>Ace blinked in confusion. Was it really surprising that he was single? Law didn’t think it was odd, considering how he knew about Ace’s bad habits and all. However, the main issue was that… No one wanted to be associated with him in the first place because his biological father was a rather problematic guy.</p><p>Of course, Sabo didn’t know who his real father was though, many people seemed to. But even the people who didn’t know his biological father, they still disliked him because of his personality. He wasn’t exactly a likeable guy once people truly began to understand his character. Which is why, he hadn’t had many friends.</p><p>Much less, a <em>girlfriend.</em></p><p>“Was that supposed to be an insult?” Ace teased.</p><p>“No! I mean, you are attractive and stuff, so I thought you’d be taken or something.” Sabo explained anxiously, worried that he might have given Ace the wrong idea.</p><p>Ace gave Sabo a weird look. He grinned and raised his eyebrows suggestively. Sabo was confused, until he realized what had slipped his mouth. He awkwardly turned away to hide his face in shame, but Ace was much quicker as he gently touched Sabo’s chin.</p><p>“Sooo I’m attractive huh?” Ace purred seductively, leaning closer towards Sabo.</p><p>“That’s not the point.” Sabo answered, gulping nervously. Then, he decided to shove Ace’s face away because his heart threatened to leap out of his chest.</p><p>“I’m just messin’ with ya. But I don’t think anyone would date me. Have you seen the type of guy I am? I literally fall asleep when I eat, talk or even when I’m taking a shit. Who would even want me?” Ace laughed, backing off.</p><p>“I do.” Sabo answered in the same way that Ace had done.</p><p>While Sabo was serious, he didn’t exactly feel in the mood to profess his love for Ace at that moment. Thankfully, Ace didn’t seem to get the hint and simply brushed him off. He had chortled in laugther and dismissed whatever Sabo had said.</p><p>“Yeah? Let’s date then.” Ace answered jokingly, rolling his eyes.</p><p>They both made eye contact and then burst into laughter. The rest of their day was spent making cheesy jokes and pretending to be a sappy old couple. While it pained Sabo’s heart, he decided that this would be fine for now.</p><p>He couldn’t bring himself to wish for more.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope that the chapter was alright! Please let me know your thoughts in the comments!! Also, ive a few things to address. I don't exactly have a regular upload schedule as my schoolwork &amp; personal life is quite.... turbulent. However, ill do my best to write in my free time. The school semester is ending soon and my holidays are coming up. So, hopefully ill be able to write another 4 chapters before the new semester starts. As for the plot of the story, well. I feel like it might be quite a long story because ive many things to tell. Im not going to giveaway too much for now. But!!!!! the story will definitely have smut at some point. </p><p>Anyways, that's it for now. The next update might be mid august (latest). In the mean time, you can bug me on tumblr @ asch-xv. See ya soon!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Discovery</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When it came to Law, Ace was rather understanding.</p><p>He knew that Law had his fair share of problems and so, he never questioned the man whenever he decided to stay up late or whenever he decided to do something weird. Sometimes, he would hear Law crying softly in his room so he would try to cheer the man up by barging in with food.</p><p>Heck, he even shared his Netflix password with Law!</p><p>So yes, he was very patient with Law. Ace knew that Law was probably had some issues. But since he was nice (well, sometimes) and would frequently take care of Luffy whenever he couldn’t, he would let anything slid.</p><p>But that didn’t mean that bringing home a man was <em>okay</em>.</p><p>When Ace had woken up that morning. He trudged his feet to the bathroom to take a piss. Only then, he saw a red-haired man who was only wearing his boxers, waltzing out of the bathroom like it was nobody’s business.</p><p>Ace had to blink twice to check if he was hallucinating or not. He stared at the man’s bare back as he entered Law’s room without speaking a word. The redhead hadn’t even bat an eyelid at Ace. Just who the hell did he think he was?</p><p>Right on cue, Luffy walked out of his own room with a loud yawn. He looked towards Ace, who was frozen on the spot with his mouth was open in shock. Luffy waved his hand in front of Ace’s face and snapped his fingers, trying to get his attention.</p><p>“Hellooooo? Ace?” Luffy called out.</p><p>Just as Luffy was about to smack Ace right across the face, Ace finally broke out of his trance. Ace shook his head to clear his thoughts and noticed Luffy giving him a weird look. Then, Ace quickly dragged Luffy into his own room and closed the door.</p><p>“Did you see…. Did you see that guy?” Ace whispered.</p><p>Luffy cocked his head in confusion, “Which guy?”</p><p>“That… Red headed guy…” Ace mumbled, pointing towards Law’s bedroom.</p><p>“Ah, Jaggy? Yeah, I saw him. He slept in our apartment last night.” Luffy laughed in response.</p><p>“He- He WHAT?”</p><p>If what Luffy had said was true and that Jaggy guy had really slept in their apartment, more specifically in <em>Law’s room</em>, what were they doing? It was odd becasue he hadn’t seen Law bringing home any guy last night. He had just gone straight to his room and slept in the afternoon.</p><p> </p><p>Also, Law had never brought anybody home before. Unless… he had brought the guy over after they had fallen asleep which was about midnight. So then, were they were up all-night having sex? He sure fucking hoped that they didn’t do anything. Not while Luffy and him were IN the house.</p><p>He was going to have a nice chat with Law about this.</p><p>Ace marched out of the room and was about to knock on Law’s bedroom door when he heard some very <em>loud</em> sounds. Sounds that he wished he hadn’t heard. So, that was his cue to leave and talk to Law another day instead.</p><p>However, Luffy was not as perceptive as Ace was. He decided to barge into Law’s room unannounced. Ace wasn’t quick enough to stop Luffy from doing so. Thinking about how awkward it was going to be gave Ace second-hand embarrassment.</p><p>He cringed in disgust and went to freshen up in record time. As soon as he was done, he left the apartment. Thankfully, he actually did have plans for the day, so he didn’t have to wander around aimlessly.</p><p>Whitebeard had contacted all his children recently. He wanted to hold a gathering so that he could formally introduce his children to each other. Ace hadn’t wanted to go but, since Whitebeard promised a feast, he was immediately sold.</p><p>Though, Ace realized that he probably should’ve considered the distance to Whitebeard’s villa. It was going to be a long, long ride since he was going to take the public transport. But he supposed he could use his free time to think about things.</p><p>He stepped out into the open and looked up at the cloudy sky. The smell of rain lingered in the air and the breeze just kept getting stronger. Ace strolled over towards the bus stop and patiently waited for his bus to arrive.</p><p>It wasn’t long before his bus arrived. However, he was going to have to sit still for an hour. He hummed and tapped his foot mindlessly. Then, something clicked as he remembered how he hadn’t checked his soulmate mark yet. He hastily rolled up his sleeve to check what it said.</p><p>This time it wrote ‘<em>It was a really good burrito</em>.’</p><p>Ace chuckled. It was rather peculiar how his soulmate had a burrito when he just had one the day before. Well, at least now he didn’t have to worry about his soulmate having good taste in food.</p><p>After recording down the sentence, his mind eventually wandered to Sabo. After they had eaten lunch together, they had gone to a mall to walk around. They also stopped by the arcade for a few games but, they both sucked and weren’t able to win any prize.</p><p>However, he had really enjoyed the other man’s company. Sabo wasn’t too hyperactive like Luffy, nor was he too unreactive like Law. It was much better than hanging out with his clique because he only had to focus his attention on one person.</p><p>Somehow, it felt refreshing.  </p><p>Hanging out with Sabo more after made Ace realize little things about him. Sabo seemed like a shy, introverted guy but, when he was alone with Ace, he could be more confident and competitive if he wanted to.</p><p>When they were at the arcade, Ace had challenged Sabo to several games. While Sabo was initially hesitant, he quickly warmed up to the idea and put in his best effort to fight Ace. However, Ace had still won in the end, but he had decided to treat Sabo to some ice cream to celebrate his victory.</p><p>It was sunset by then. The sky was filled with steaks of pink and orange, radiating a warm glow. With their ice cream cones in their hands, they had gone to a playground nearby to just talk about life and whatnot.</p><p>Despite the sound of children screaming and families all around, Ace somehow managed to find solace while spending time with Sabo. He felt comforted by Sabo’s presence and yet, he wasn’t sure why he felt a twinge of sadness.</p><p>Perhaps it had been the nightmares of his past that frequently haunted him. Or maybe, there was something about Sabo that reminded him of some darker times in his childhood- Memories that he had long suppressed.</p><p>It felt like some metaphorical string was drawing him closer to Sabo. Ace was intrigued, he wanted to go closer. He wanted to understand Sabo. Maybe if he got closer to Sabo, he would finally begin to understand his own feelings.</p><p>He sighed.</p><p>The bus had suddenly jerked which brought Ace’s mind back to reality. He was so caught up in his own thoughts, he hadn’t even realized he reached his stop. He quickly hopped off the bus and trudged his feet over to Whitebeard’s grand mansion.</p><p>Ace groaned, imagining the chaos that would ensue. <em>Nothing</em> good could come out of a meeting with over fifty of Whitebeard’s sons. It was going to be a horribly long day and Ace wasn’t exactly sure if he was excited. On the bright side, it was better than facing Law’s wrath at home.</p><p>Stepping through the steel gates and past the large wooden doors, he braced himself for the impact. The moment the doors had opened, he saw the large man approaching him and pulling him into a bone crushing hug.</p><p>“Pops… Y-you’re crushing m-me.” Ace choked.</p><p>Whitebeard looked down at Ace only to see him turning pale from the loss of blood circulation. So, he quickly let go of the freckled man and backed away before scratching his head sheepishly.</p><p>“Oops. I might’ve been a little too rough there.” Whitebeard chuckled.</p><p>“Old man, I nearly saw Enel in heaven for a sec.” Ace grumbled under his breath while trying to stretch his back.</p><p>“Now, don’t be like that. I know you missed me, son.” The older man laughed while ruffling his son’s hair.</p><p>Ace pouted childishly in turn. But frankly, it had been quite a long time since he last saw Whitebeard. Since Whitebeard was so busy, he didn’t really get the chance to see him around much. They would only have a gathering ever so often.</p><p>Even so, Whitebeard’s attention would be divided between all his sons so Ace wouldn’t be able to spend much time with him. He sighed in dismay.</p><p>“I can’t believe you weren’t joking about pops adopting you.” Marco grumbled under his breath, interrupting Ace’s train of thought.</p><p>“Why hello to you too Marco. Or should I say, <em>Doctor</em> Marco.” Ace grinned, turning his attention towards the blonde man.</p><p>“Hah? What was that-yoi?”</p><p>As Marco was about to retaliate with some sort of clever comeback, a tall man with a brown pompadour walked up to them, catching their attention. Ace’s eyes widened in surprised and he rushed up to the man, tackling him into a hug.</p><p>“Ace! It’s been a long time. How have ya been? Ya up to anythin’ recently?” The man grinned, returning him Ace the hug.</p><p>“Thatch you bastard. This whole time you fucking knew Ace was pops’ son but you never told me.” Marco sulked.</p><p>The man with the pompadour laughed before shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, “You never asked.” He spoke. In which, Marco rolled his eyes in annoyance.</p><p>“I’m good. Just dealin’ with school stuff.” Ace laughed, releasing Thatch from the hug.</p><p>“So… did ya finally get a girlfriend?” Thatch asked.</p><p>“Please. Girls don’t even want to sit next to me- Besides Nami of course, since she’s practically a barbarian. But PLEASE don’t tell her that. Otherwise she’d rip my balls off.” Ace snorted and replied half-jokingly.</p><p>Thatch chuckled. He had seen Nami around before, so he knew that Ace wasn’t kidding. Once during his class, the ginger haired girl had stormed into class looking for his student, Sanji.</p><p>Apparently, their other friend Zoro had done something stupid and she needed Sanji’s help to find him. The other boy had done something stupid and got lost in the middle of… nowhere. Needless to say, Nami had been <em>terrifying</em> but Sanji was more than happy to help her out.</p><p>“Oho. How ‘bout a boyfriend then? Or is there anyone ya interested in?” He continued, raising his eyebrows suggestively.</p><p>At the mention of the word ‘boyfriend’, Sabo’s face immediately flashed in Ace’s mind. Ace blushed and shook his head, getting rid of the image in his head. This wasn’t the right time to think about the blonde man. He did not want Marco or Thatch inquiring about his love live with Whitebeard lurking in the corner.</p><p>Besides, he wasn’t THAT interested in Sabo.</p><p>Okay, maybe that was a lie.</p><p> “W-well actually, I wanted to ask if Marco knew anything about soulmate marks since he’s a doctor and all.” Ace coughed awkwardly, trying to change the subject. This caught both Marco’s and Thatch’s attention.</p><p>“You gotta be a bit more specific about what you’re asking.” Marco threaded carefully.</p><p>“Just look.”</p><p>Ace rolled up his sleeve, revealing his soulmate mark. Marco and Thatch laughed at the message imprinted on his arm, much to Ace’s embarrassment. On the bright side, the message that had appeared on his arm was less shameful that day compared to the ones before.</p><p>“Well this is an interesting one.” Thatch commented casually.</p><p>“Hey, I can’t help it alright? It kinda just shows whatever random thought my soulmate has during the day. My problem is, how do I know where to look for them? How do I begin to find them? Please don’t say ‘just leave it up to fate’ because that’s fucking bullshit.” Ace sighed.</p><p>Realistically speaking, there was no way Ace could start searching for his soulmate. There wasn’t exactly any guide on how someone could start looking for their soulmate either. It could take days, months or years depending on his luck.</p><p>“It’s hard to say for sure cause’ anything can happen-yoi. For some people they’ll begin to experience the emotions of their soulmates. For others, they begin to see their soulmates in their dreams. It’s different for everybody.” Marco explained.</p><p>“As far as I know, nothing like that has been happenin’. Is there any way to trigger it?” Ace frowned in dismay.</p><p>“It normally starts happening after you like the person or something like that. Who knows?” Marco laughed in response.</p><p>Ace’s thoughts wandered back to Sabo once again. Theoretically speaking, what if he liked someone that wasn’t his soulmate? Because, of course there was no way Sabo could be his soulmate.</p><p>Would fate somehow mess with him so that they wouldn’t end up together? Or maybe either one of them dies. Ace shuddered, thinking of the possibilities. If any of that did happen… Ace wouldn’t really know what he’d do.</p><p> “… How am I supposed to like someone I don’t even know?” Ace questioned.</p><p>Marco shrugged. He was way too old to be dealing with some teenage romance. Hell, he never even had a proper relationship in the first place. How was he supposed to know?</p><p>“Look. I’m just a doctor, not a relationship counsellor-yoi.”</p><p>“Right. Thanks anyway.” Ace sighed.</p><p>Thatch patted Ace’s back reassuringly, telling him that when the time was right, everything would fall into place. It was then when Whitebeard’s voice resounded across the room, grabbing the attention of all his sons.</p><p>“Gurararararara~ Gather ‘round my sons. While I’ve invited all of you here today for you to meet each other, I have matters to discuss.” Whitebeard’s boomed.</p><p>Everyone immediately turned their attention to the giant man who was sat on the magnificent chair placed at the end of the room. Marco and Ace noticed how Whitebeard shifted around uncomfortably, his face slightly paler than usual.</p><p>That meant bad news.</p><p>“The reason why I called all of you here is because I have some… distressing announcement to make. As you all know, the terrorist group ‘Blackbeard’ has been on the rise once again. Sources are saying that they’ve joined forces with the Donquixote family.” He announced grimly.</p><p>“What do you mean pops?”</p><p>“What’s going on?”</p><p>Anxious whispers floated around the room. The name ‘Blackbeard’ was not unfamiliar to those in Whitebeard’s family as Blackbeard himself, Marshall D. Teach, was once part of the Newgate family.</p><p>He was one of Whitebeard sons until he had decided to bomb Marineford, causing an all-out war between the government officials and the followers he had secretly gathered throughout the years. Many lives were lost, including some of Whitebeard’s sons. So, Whitebeard had banished the man from Dressrosa.</p><p>The Donquixote family however, was a group of underground criminals who dealt with illegal trade of weapons, drugs and whatnot. Their family had once ruled Dressrosa until a huge scandal occurred, causing the citizens of Dressrosa to distrust their previous ruler, Donquixote Doflamingo.</p><p>But now that the Donquixote family and Blackbeard have joined forces, there was no telling what sort of disaster they would bring to the country. Or rather, the entire world if they chose to.</p><p>Ace felt his heartbeat quicken at the mention of Blackbeard. It was odd to think that Blackbeard had once been his ‘friend’. However, since he had found out about the Marineford incident, he had wanted to personally beat up the man since Marineford was an important place to Whitebeard.</p><p>More importantly, for some reason, Blackbeard wanted Luffy.</p><p>He had been ready to set off to look for Blackbeard till Thatch stopped him. As much as Thatch hated Blackbeard, he did not want Ace to dirty his hands for nothing. So, he had convinced Ace to go to college instead.</p><p>Of course, Ace wasn’t an idiot. He had continued to keep tabs on the other man, tracking his every move. He couldn’t afford to let anything happen to Luffy or Whitebeard. Not under his watch.</p><p>Whitebeard cleared his throat loudly, trying to grab the attention of his sons once more.</p><p> “Fear not, my children. It’s nothing to worry about. We have the revolutionaries on our side along with some miscellaneous forces so it will be fine. Just remember to keep a lookout. Since I have become their new target, naturally they would go for my sons too.” Whitebeard reassured his sons with a laugh.</p><p>The noise had then begun to quieten down as majority of Whitebeard’s sons had believed in his words. However, Macro and Ace exchanged looks knowingly, much to Thatch’s confusion.</p><p>Something was happening and they could sense it. Ace had turned a blind eye to Blackbeard’s actions once, for the sake of Thatch. But this time, he was going to find out what was going on…</p><p>…<em>No matter the cost.</em></p><p>-</p><p>Sabo didn’t really know why he decided to drop by Ace’s house… again. Though they had literally just seen each other, he couldn’t wait to see Ace</p><p>However, when he had turned up at the freckled man’s apartment, he was greeted by a tall, muscular figure who wore nothing but boxers. Sabo was about to call the cops when he looked up and noticed the familiar red hair.</p><p>Was this not the man who had fought with Luffy from that other time? What on earth was he doing at Ace’s apartment? Had this man finally come to kidnap Luffy? Was Luffy being held hostage?</p><p>The red haired man seemed to have recognized him so he left the door open and went back to whatever he was doing. Sabo assumed that was an invitation to go inside so, he helped himself… Only to see Law and Luffy seated on a heap of cushions with uno cards in their hands.</p><p> “SABOOOO!!!”</p><p>Upon seeing Sabo, Luffy hopped of the mountain of pillows and jumped onto Sabo, wrapping his limbs around Sabo’s face. Sabo had nearly stumbled from the impact but thankfully, Luffy was rather small. That did not mean that he appreciated the fact that Luffy’s crotch was practically in his face.</p><p>“L-Luffy, you’re crushing m-me.” Sabo choked, trying to peel Luffy off him.  </p><p>Sabo noticed the subtle frown on Luffy’s face (which was adorable) when he had tried to pull them apart so, Sabo ruffled his hair and pat his head instead. In which, Luffy responded with a hum of content.  </p><p>“What brings you here Sabo-ya? Have you come to see Ace again?” Law said, with a smug grin on his face, knowing full well why the blonde had once again graced his presence in their household.</p><p>“Sabo is obviously here to see ME, Torao. Ace stinks, why would Sabo want to see him?” Luffy scoffed as if it were the most obvious thing in the world before picking up a pillow and smacking it in Law’s face.  </p><p>“Before that… Who might you be?” Sabo asked, pointing to the redhead in the room. Kid raised an eyebrow in confusion. He could have sworn they had already met before but well. Whatever.</p><p>“Eustass-ya.”</p><p>“Kizao.”</p><p>The comment made by Luffy and Law had earned them both another pillow to their faces. Kid glared at them and flipped them off while Law simply grumbled about how ‘<em>Eustass-ya can’t even take a joke</em>’.</p><p>“Fuck you both. The name’s Eustass Kid.” He answered.</p><p>Sabo nodded slowly in acknowledgement. Noticing the closeness between Kid, Law and Luffy, he felt rather out of place. Weren’t they enemies from the last time he had seen them? Luffy and Kid had been tearing at each other’s throats but now, it seemed like they were friends.</p><p>Sort of.</p><p>“Andddd you guys are like friends now?” Sabo inquired curiously.</p><p> “BEST FRIENDS.”</p><p>“Sabo-ya, how <em>dare</em> you insinuate that we are even friends to begin with.”</p><p>Kid gave both Law and Luffy an odd look. Sure, he might have hated both their guts in the beginning but, the more time he spent with the two, the closer they grew. Best friends still felt kind of a stretch since Kid still held a grudge against Luffy for the fucking turkey leg.</p><p>“Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you both?” Kid grumbled under his breath.</p><p>A small smile creeped onto Sabo’s face as he looked at the trio. They were an interesting bunch considering how their personalities had clashed. He also realized it was also funny how Luffy had they mysterious power to bring people together.</p><p> “Anyways, if you are looking for Ace, he’s out meeting his dad. I’m not sure what time he’ll be back but feel free to hang around.” Law commented, interrupting Sabo’s train of thought.</p><p>“Yeah! We are playing uno fight, come join us Sabo!” Luffy chirped, inching closer to cling onto Sabo’s arm.  </p><p>At the mention of Ace, Sabo couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed. Though, now that he recalled, he did remember Ace texting something about being busy the night before. He supposed he could stick around for a little while to see if Ace would return. But firstly, what on earth was an uno fight?</p><p>“Uno… fight? I’ve never heard of that before.” Sabo repeated.</p><p>“It’s just regular uno but after each round, we beat up the winner.” Kid explained.</p><p>“Why does the winner get beaten up? Shouldn’t it be the other way ‘round?”</p><p>Kid shrugged. In his defence, he wasn’t the one who had suggested the game so, had no idea what why it was this way either. Sabo turned towards Law and Luffy, expecting some sort of answer but all they did was shrug as well.</p><p>“Well. Sure, count me in.”</p><p>
  <em>-</em>
</p><p>“Ace-ya told me that you guys met up just yesterday.”</p><p>“Yeah, we grabbed lunch at some Spanish diner near the colosseum. Think it was La Familia or something?” Sabo responded, lazily throwing down another card into the pile (which caused Kid to whisper <em>fuck you</em>).</p><p>Law paused.</p><p>The restaurant’s name was extremely familiar to him. What a coincidence that Sabo and Ace had gone there for food. However, that reminded him, he hadn’t checked in on <em>her</em> in a long time.</p><p>“Interesting. Did you happen to see someone named Baby 5?” Law questioned.</p><p>Sabo perked his head up in surprise. Baby 5 sounded familiar. Was it that random girl in the maid costume who had served their food? But why would Law know her? Unless… She was his girlfriend which would be BAD considering he had found her rather attractive.</p><p>“Hm… Yeah we did. Why? She your girlfriend or something?” Sabo asked carefully, secretly hoping that Baby 5 hadn’t told Law anything about his lunch with Ace.</p><p>Law snorted at the thought of dating Baby 5. Although he found her rather attractive, she was way too much of a cry baby and in general, she was much too crazy for him. “Nah. She’s my sister.”, he answered.</p><p>“You have a sister?” Sabo continued.</p><p>“Well, it’s complicated. She was one of my soulmates.”</p><p>The silence that ensued was to be expected since, Law had never talked about his family to anyone, other than his other friends Bepo, Penguin and Shachi of course. Hence, no one actually knew a thing about him- which was rather peculiar considering how he shared a house with Ace and Luffy.</p><p>“Sweet home Alabama.” Kid whistled.</p><p>Sabo chuckled while had just cocked his head in confusion. Law made a face and chucked the nearest pillow in Kid’s face, much to his annoyance. “Jesus, it’s not like that. Calm your man titties Eustass-ya.” Law rolled his eyes.</p><p>”I didn’t know you even had a soulmate mark.” Sabo laughed.</p><p>“I had a few. Baby5 was just one of them. Before her, I had met my dad and a friend. These tattoos I have were their soulmate marks that appeared on my body.” Law shrugged casually, as if it were no surprise.</p><p>The rest of them stared at Law in awe. A normal person would only have one soulmate mark but in some cases, they can have two. Having two was rare as it is, however, having more than that was considered to be a miracle.</p><p>“Woah, Torao has so many marks! That’s so cool!” Luffy exclaimed while moving closer to Law in an attempt to look at the markings on his body.</p><p>“Yeah. I still have one more soulmate left to find.” Law sighed, pushing Luffy’s face away from himself.</p><p>Somehow that had seemed to piqued Kid’s interest. He had never heard Law bring up anything related to soulmates or having one at all. Not to mention, <em>four</em> soulmates. Also, he hadn’t expected Law’s tattoos to be based on his previous soulmate marks.</p><p>So, which one was Law’s final soulmate mark?</p><p>He vaguely remembered the patterns of Law’s soulmate marks from the time they had video chatted but, his memory was rather blurry. As much as Kid wanted to find out more about the other man, he decided that he would do so when they were alone.</p><p>On the other hand, Sabo was equally as surprised to hear about Law’s soulmate marks. He didn’t expect such a moody guy like Law to have THAT many soulmate marks. Though, it was still interesting to hear about the other man’s personal life for once.</p><p>Sabo wondered if Law had trouble finding his soulmate too. Maybe he would text the man about his own soulmate troubles tonight and seek some sort of advice. However, at the moment, he was occupied desperately trying <em>not</em> to win the game of uno.</p><p>“Ah it seems like Sabo-ya won the game.”</p><p>“Fuck.”</p><p>He stayed on for a little while, playing several more rounds of (chaotic) uno. However, It didn’t seem like Ace was about to return any time soon so, Sabo eventually decided to return home. Besides, Koala mentioned that she wanted him to be back for dinner anyways.</p><p>When Sabo returned back to the apartment, Koala was in the kitchen cooking dinner for the both of them. The smell of food would usually make Sabo excited, however, Koala noticed how Sabo simply moped around.</p><p>He rolled around on the couch before deciding to sit on the floor. Afterwards, he began to lay down and let out a loud groan. Koala could tolerate it for a little while until, Sabo started whining really loudly.</p><p>For a second, Koala wondered what on earth could have gotten Sabo so down. It definitely wasn’t his grades or whatever. It probably wasn’t anything to do with Luffy. Also, Sabo didn’t exactly have other friends to worry about…</p><p><em>Oh</em>.</p><p>Koala sighed.</p><p>She knew if she didn’t do anything, Sabo would continue acting like this all week. So, she decided to be the good friend that she was help him out. Once she was done cooking, she called Sabo to the dining table to eat.</p><p>"You know what would be funny?" Koala began, attempting to start a conversation.</p><p>Sabo shrugged, popping a hotdog into his mouth. "Hmm…. What? If I somehow manage to graduate?"</p><p>Koala rolled her eyes and smacked him playfully on the arm. "No, you dummy! What if... Ace was your soulmate?"</p><p>There was a brief moment of silence as Sabo put away his food to think. Koala stared at him, observing his every behaviour. Sabo seemed to be deep in thought, as if he were really considering the possibility.</p><p>"...Where did that come from?" He finally spoke after a little while, chuckling softly. He picked up his fork once again and continued to eat.</p><p>Koala blinked.</p><p>Was Sabo really that oblivious? Ever since Sabo had told her about the incident with Ace, he had not shut up about the other man ever since. Sure, she had never met Ace but she had seen his pictures and <em>boy</em>, he was Sabo’s type of man for sure.</p><p>"You've been all weird and dreamy ever since… you went out with him. Heck, you’ve been weird since you met him!" Koala cried, grabbing Sabo by the collar and shaking him, as if she were trying to get him to finally wake up.</p><p>"No i havent-"</p><p>"Anddddd, you've been stalking his youtube alllll night. seriously, how many times have you watched that goddamn sand planet video?" Koala pointed out.</p><p>On most nights, she could hear the same damn song playing from Sabo’s room so, she KNEW that Sabo was watching the stupid video again. Sometimes, she would even hear footsteps, which she assumed was Sabo attempting to learn the dance.</p><p>"Look. I- I can appreciate a good dance video." Sabo defended himself.</p><p>‘Appreciating a good dance video’ might have been a bit of an understatement considering how he had watched the video about more than a hundred times in total. That made him stalkerish but, he made sure to text Ace each time about how much he loved <strike>him</strike> the video.</p><p>"But you dont even know anything about dance!" Koala argued.</p><p>"Hey, I can do ballroom dance-" Sabo retorted.</p><p>Koala snorted because Sabo couldn’t dance for shit. He literally had two left feet that are both crippled. It was THAT bad. More importantly, she was tired of dealing with Sabo’s constant unpredictable behaviour.</p><p>"Yeah, yeah but you suck at it. Just admit it. You like him, don’t you?"</p><p>"....No....." Sabo answered, with slight hesitation in his voice.</p><p>Koala raised her eyebrows and stood up, towering over Sabo who seemed to slide further back into his chair. Koala placed her hands on her hips and leaned closer towards Sabo, staring right into his eyes.</p><p>Sabo wasn’t sure why but he felt threatened in that moment. With Koala’s big blue eyes staring right into his soul, it was getting increasingly hard to dodge this dreaded subject. All of a sudden, Koala slammed her hand down on the table, causing Sabo to jump in his seat.</p><p>"Oh yeah? Look me in the eye and tell me that you don’t like Portgas D. Ace." Koala scoffed.</p><p>"I...." Sabo mumbled, trying to turn away from Koala’s gaze. However, Koala only seemed to move closer towards him which made it even harder to avoid.</p><p>"I dont ..... I....”. He moved his chair backwards to create some sort of space between Koala so he could escape but Koala began to <em>kabedon</em> him. As much as he loved Koala as a friend and a soulmate, he did <strong>not</strong> want to be in this position.</p><p>So, Sabo took a deep breath and closed his eyes.</p><p>“I like Ace."</p><p>"I <em>knew</em> it."</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi im back... I know it has been months since ive updated and no, im not giving up on this story. I had a bit of a writer's block and also, ive just been really busy with school. But on the bright side, im finally graduating! ive also spent most of my free time working on my cosplays because i plan to make a one piece photobook. Anyways, im on tumblr (asch-xv) if you want to chat or anything~ i also post my cosplays there haha. With that, please look forward to the next update! I promise i wont take too long this time,,.</p>
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